
aass____l-_ijocL^_ 
Book_ T's'V 



J^ 



THE '^ 



C A N A D A S : 



COMPREHENDING 



Copog;rap]^ical formation 

CONCERNING THE QUALITY OF THE LAND, IN DIFFERENT 

districts; and the fullest general information: 
for the use of 

EMIGRANTS AND CAPITALISTS. 



FROM ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS FURNISHED 

BY JOHN GALT, Esq., 

Late of the Canada Company, and of the British American Land Association. 



SECOND EDITION. 



<. 






PUBLISHED BY EFFINGHAM WILSON, 

royal EXCHANGE. 

1836. 






LONDON : 

Printed by W, Clowes and Sons, 

Stamford Street. 






-?. 



^O 






TO 



JOHN GALT, Esq. F.R.S. 

S^c. 8fc. Sfc. 



Dear Sir, 
Independent of any consideration of the assistance 
you have afforded me in the present compilation, 
and of the feelings of private friendship, it is proper 
that a work of this kind should be inscribed to you, 
from the services you are known to have rendered to 
Canadian Colonization. Of the extent and value of 
those services — services which will hereafter connect 
your name with the history of this interesting colony, 
— it is to be hoped, for your own sake, that the public 
at home may yet become as fully aware, as the 
settlers are in those parts of the province where the 
effects of them are more particularly felt. 

Colonization, as a means of relief to an over- 
populated mother country, has of late assumed an 
importance which every year seems to augment. To 
have formed associate bodies for the efficient pro- 



17 DEDICATION. 

motion of such an object ; and to have laid down and 
brought into operation principles of management, for 
the settlement of large tracts of wilderness country, 
the soundness and Hberality of which, as connected 
with prosperity, have been amply proved by ex- 
perience, — are public services deserving a praise, that 
well may be put in honourable competition with an 
extended literary fame. 

That your known talents for business and public 
undertakings, may yet be attended with some measure 
of reward to yourself, is the earnest wish of 
Dear Sir, 
Yours most sincerely, 

ANDREW PICKEN. 



Regent's Park, East, 
16th May, 1832. 



ADVERTISEMENT. 



This book is presented to the public with great 
confidence by the compiler. He claims no merit 
for himself, but it will be difficult to find a recent 
work, in which so many official and authentic 
documents are brought together respecting any 
country. The size of the work may seem to 
offer something like a contradiction to this asser- 
tion, but a very cursory inspection will convince 
the reader, that the materials from which it 
has been compiled are of no ordinary stamp. 
Indeed, had it not been owingr to the circum- 
stances, of two great public bodies, as well as 
the government, being interested in collecting 
the information, which the compiler has been so 
fortunate as to obtain access to, it could not have 
been within the means of an individual to accu- 



VI ADVERTISEMENT. 

mulate such a variety of important and, to emi- 
grants, necessary knowledge. 

In addition to the valuable papers and reports 
to which reference has been made, and the numer- 
ous publications quoted in the course of the 
compilation, the compiler has great pleasure in 
acknowledging his obligations to private sources, 
and, besides Mr. Gait, particularly to Nathaniel 
Gould, Esq., Deputy Governor of the British 
American Land Company, for the use of his very 
shrewd and interestinsf remarks in the notes which 
he made in his travels in the two Canadas. 

The Huron Tract, in the Upper Province, 
having lately been strongly recommended as an 
advantageous spot for settlement, the compiler 
applied to the Canada Company for access to a 
Report of an Inspection of great part of it made 
by their order, as he is informed, and transmitted 
to them; but for some unassigned reason the 
Directors declined allowing a sight of any docu- 
ments which they had not themselves printed. 



CONTENTS. 



Introcuction 



Page 
1 



Topographical Sketches : — 
Part I, — Lower Canada 
Part II. — Upper Canada 



39 
109 



Travellins: to the Canadas :- 



Part I.— The St. Lawrence 


. 203 


Part II.— By New York, Albany, &c. 


. 225 


Part III. — Expenses, Distances, &c. 


. 250 


General Considerations for Colonists, &c. 


. 287 


Commissioner's Report . . • 


. 296 


Appendix . . • . • 


. i 



INTRODUCTION. 



The subject of emigration, or rather colonization^ 
and all the enquiries connected with it, is, from the 
circumstances of the country at home, becoming daily 
of increased interest to all classes of the community. 
The employment of capital, not less than the employ- 
ment of labour; the relief of distressed trades, of 
overpeopled districts, of individuals and their families 
struggling vainly without hope, and of overflowing 
manufactures seeking a market and a beneficial re- 
turn ; all are connected with it, and with the effects 
that grow out of it in a new country. It is not there- 
fore to be wondered at, that the public should not be 
easily satisfied in their enquiries upon a subject, which, 
in times like the present, comes so home to the busi- 
nesses and bosoms of a large and enterprising class 
of individuals. 

As the interest of the subject rises above those, 
classes by whom it has hitherto been looked upon 
merely as an ultimate relief from pressing distress, 
and extends to persons in better circumstances, who 
begin to enquire carefully into the state and pros- 
pects of those new countries, which open such a field 
for industry or adventure, — either with ideas of set- 
tling there themselves, or with a view to the profit- 



2 INTRODUCTION. 

able investment of capital in connexion with colonial 
companies formed at liome, — a species of information 
comes to be required, more particular and authentic 
than the hasty opinions of publishing travellers, or 
the brief reports of settlers in the vi^oods. In order 
as much as possible to meet this object, and yet to 
confine the information given to a price that shall 
be within the reach of the ordinary emigrant, the 
present has been undertaken ; upon the plan of se- 
lecting, compiling, and condensing, from every source 
deemed authentic, all the practical information and 
accredited opinion, which has been given upon the 
whole subject, both in evidence before the Com- 
mittees of the House of Commons, and in every other 
shape in which that information seems to be worthy 
of entire reliance. In this point of view, a large 
portion of the present compilation has been devoted 
to condensed topographical sketches of as much 
of Lower and Upper Canada, as seemed to commend 
themselves to the enquiries of proposed settlers, or 
purchasers of land, either at home or in the colonies, 
— a species of information, which appeared to the 
editor to be of the first importance, both for general 
and particular guidance. In compiling this part of the 
present publication, the compiler has, in reference to 
Lower Canada, made free use of the valuable topo- 
graphical dictionary contained in the large work of 
Colonel Bouchette, the able and indefatigable Sur- 
veyor-general ; and upon the upper province, parti- 
cularly that where the lands belonging to the Canada 



INTRODUCTION. 3 

Company are situated, and the contiguous parts, he 
is indebted to original reports of inspections, and 
other documents, kindly furnished him by Mr. Gait, 
some of which he has given verbatim as he received 
them. The intelligent reader who is disposed to look 
comprehensively at a subject of such present as well 
as prospective importance, may also observe, that in 
the arrangement of his facts and the selection of his 
documents, as well as the correction of many vague 
opinions, he has been largely indebted to the com- 
municative industry of the latter gentleman, whose 
accuracy of knowledge of Canadian colonization, 
and power of observation upon all its details, need no 
eulogium in this place. Upon all matters of state- 
ment or calculation, the editor has uniformly spoken 
from authority where compression was deemed neces- 
sary, or rather has preferred giving the documents 
themselves wherever they seemed sufficiently con- 
densed and general for a popular publication, in- 
tended to comprehend as much matter as possible, 
that should be merely useftd. Before, however, 
proceeding to the usual particulars, a few general 
observations will naturally be expected. 

Confining, for the present, the field of emigration 
from the United Kingdom to his Majesty's domi- 
nions in the two Canadas, what sort of jaersons should 
seriously think of so important a step, has often been 
matter of considerable discussion. Upon this subject, 
however, we are furnished by nature with one general 
lule, which, unhappily for this country, is becoming 

B 2 



4 INTRODUCTION. 

daily and imperatively more extensively applicable; 
namely, the great rule of necessity^ which to minds of 
any decision, placed in circmnstances but too com- 
mon, soon precludes all controversy. It is the feel- 
ing of the necessity of the case, arising from a fair 
view of a man's situation and prospects in the old 
country, — that is, in general, that impelling principle 
of self-preservation, which is too powerful to admit of 
long deliberation, or a plain question between subsist- 
ence and want, — which is not only the speediest 
decider between a balance of evils, but which, in its 
operations in new circumstances, is the best stimu- 
lant to exertion, and the surest safeguard of success. 
This great law of the natural sense, is now fast begin- 
ning to apply, not only to the peasant and the arti- 
zan, who in too many cases see nought before them 
in tliis densely-populated country, but the melancholy 
consummation of the parish work-house, and the 
pauper's grave, but, to a vast number who have 
been otherwise situated, on whom the crowded mart 
of overdriven industry of all sorts, has shut every 
door of decent employment at home, and left them 
no choice between personal labour, of an unwonted 
species, in another land, with a view to an ultimate 
independence, and the last state of degradation and 
misery where they are -, with the bitter aggravation, in 
such an alternative, of being perfectly miable to help 
themselves. This rule of necessity, naturally divides 
itself among three classes, all of whom feel it equally 
urgent, but not with the same degree of hope in refer- 
ence to emigration. 



INTRODUCTION. 5 

The first and most numerous is composed of those, 
who, as mere labourers, and standing at the bottom 
of the scale of society at home, would be happy to go 
to any spot, where they could procure a subsistence 
by physical exertion. Though there is no doubt that, 
as far as individuals are concerned, this class ought to 
be the first to emigrate, yet the situation of such per- 
sons is rendered so completely helpless, by their entire 
destitution, and so formidable even to a colony from 
their numbers, that they become more the proper 
objects of the care of others than of them elves *. 
The operation of the feeling of necessity itself, then, 
ought to be checked, in reference to the helpless 
orders, by such regulations, even in the supply of 
labour beyond the Atlantic, as may prevent destitute 
families from throwing themselves in shoals upon 
a new country, without even the means of their own 
conveyance to those inland settlements where their 
labour may procure them present subsistence. 

Upon this subject, the Committee of the House of 
Commons, in the course of their enquiries, make in 
their Third Report a very important and obvious dis- 
tinction, which ought to be impressed at home, as 
well upon the poor man himself, before he suffers 
himself to be decoyed on board ship by low and mer- 
cenary agents, as upon bodies of individuals who are 
interested in the removal of the helpless. This dis- 
tinction is, between Emigration and Colonization. 
The former in its simple sense, is mere change of 
* See paper A, in the Appendix. 



6 INTRODUCTION. 

place, whereas colonization in all its consequences 
ought to be the real and only object of the removal 
from the old country ; for, as the Report expresses it, 
were the Government at home, or parishes for their 
own relief, to transfer men to the Canadas who have 
not the means of becoming industrious colonists, such 
would only have the effect of a bridge thrown across 
the Atlantic, for thousands to hasten to the other side 
to glut the market for labour, extensive as it is — to 
embarrass the frontier towns, as has already been 
done, with the starving poor of the old country; 
while the victims of ignorance themselves, unable to 
proceed to where their labour was available, were left 
to die in the wilderness. It is therefore a general 
rule, applying most of all to that class which is 
strongest goaded by necessity, that no man ought to 
leave the old country, without the means, not only of 
paying his passage to the Canadian shores, but of 
subsisting until he reaches the settlements up the 
country, where he may be enabled to commence ac- 
tual colonization, in its simplest form, by the disposal 
and exertion of his own labour *. 

To the second, and a better class of persons, at 
least in reference to intelligence and handicraft ac- 
quirement, namely, men reared to manufactures of all 
sorts, who cannot procure employment at home, there 
is no rule will apply so generally as the great rule of 
necessity in favour of emigration ; if such persons 

* For further opinion vipon the emigration of this class, see 
paper B, in the Appendix. 



INTRODUCTION-. 7 

can only save or procure the means of support until 
they reach the place where they can be paid for their 
labour. Some controversy having been maintained 
as to the rationality of advising persons, accustomed 
to sedentary and in-door employments at home, to go 
where they shall be set to chop trees in the woods, and 
this occasioning many to waver in their resolves, in 
spite of the strongest feelings of the necessity of the 
step, this subject may require a few further remarks. 
If the experience of persons who have followed the 
sedentary employment of weaving may be taken as 
generally applicable on this point, we have the fullest 
satisfaction in the evidence given before the Com- 
mittee of the House of Commons, in the Report just 
referred to. In the year 1827, during a time of great 
distress, the urgency of their circumstances had 
caused the weavers of the AVest of Scotland to form 
tliemselves into numerous societies, for the promotion 
of associated plans of emigration, in connexion with 
which they earnestly applied for the assistance of 
Government. On this occasion, delegates from them 
were examined before the Committee, and stated, that 
the anxieties of the weavers to emigrate to Canada 
were enhanced by the favourable reports daily received 
from those of their own class who had already been 
settled there. Various letters from persons who had 
formerly been weavers, but who had emigrated for 
some time, were laid before the Committee ; but the 
substance of them will best appear in the following- 
questions and their answers. — {Vide Examination of 



8 INTRODUCTION. 

John Tait. — Third Report, Minutes of Evidence^ 
p. 106.) 

* Are the weavers aware of the nature of the labour 
of a new settler ? ' 

' They are 'perfectly aware of the great hardships 
they must encounter in the first two or three years.' 

' Do you think they will make good fellers of 
heavy wood, and that they will be able to stump up 
roots and clear land ? ' 

' A good many of them have been accustomed to 
out-door labour ; and during last summer a good 
number were employed in breaking stones — a species 
of labour harder than that of felling trees ; and if 
they can exert themselves in one way, they will do it 
in another.' 

The editor of a Glasgow newspaper examined. — (76. 
p. 90.) 

' Have you any knowledge as to the state of those 
parties now in Canada ? ' 

' I have ; I know that many who went over to 
Canada, in a state of utter destitution, in 1820, are 
now in a state of comparative happiness ; many 
of them have written to their friends desirous of 
coming over, telling them that they certainly en- 
countered great hardships for eighteen or twenty 
months, but that after that time they found that 
their situation got progressively better, and that 
they would gladly endure five times the amount of 
hardship, in order to be placed in the situation in 
which they now are.' 



INTRODUCTION. 9 

As the subject is raised to apply to a third, and su- 
perior class at home, the answer to the question of 
who should emigrate? becomes more complicated, 
and is more involved in considerations of acquired 
habits, associations, and mental wants affecting hap- 
piness, which only the strong feeling of necessity^ 
resulting from an appalling balance of evils, can in 
many minds overcome *. 

* And j;et the feeling of necessity itself, arising from the pres- 
sure of the severest distress, though affording, perhaps, the best 
general rule for the expediency of emigration, has not always been 
sufficient to overcome the prejudices entertained in some parts 
of the country against the step. It appears by the evidence of a 
magistrate of the county of Nottingham, (the Rev. Mr. Beechey,) 
given to the Committee before mentioned, that in 1819, during 
a time of the severest distress, ' many artificers in those days, 
who had lived in absolute luxury and comparative affluence, 
were reduced to such an abject situation that they worked as 
common labourers for tenpence a-day, and submitted to this 
drudgery sooner than accept colonization.' This prejudice 
arises very much, however, from the operation of the poor-laws, 
which tends gradually to degrade the poor, and deprive them 
of all manly spirit and self-dependence. The same witness 
adds, — ' I am also of opinion that the same feeling still exists, 
and will probably prevail in other places where the poor know- 
as well as they do in Nottinghamshire that they are, under 
the present laws, entitled to parochial support.' The infer- 
ence drawn by this intelligent philanthropist is still more in- 
teresting, and illustrative of human nature. ' I think,' he adds, 
that when a family becomes actually pauperised, both in the 
parents and in their progeny, which is constantly the case, 
we appear in our legislation to want some provision beyond 
a work-house, or a prison; and I leave it to the judgment 
of the Committee to consider whether there may not be a 
class of paupers to whom colonization might be proposed^ 



10 INTRODUCTION. 

To the mere agriculturist, who is accustomed to 
farming employment at home, and has some means 
left to prosecute his fortune, colonization in Canada is 
more a matter of choice and speculation ; and, when 
adopted, will well repay the industrious and enter- 
prising emigrant. The man, however, whose habits 
are to be broke up, and whose pursuits are to suffer 
a total change by such a step, yet who is goaded on 
by the strong hand of necessity, will find, from the 
reports of all men who have tried it, that the first 
hardships of making a settlement, in a country which 
presents such an inexhaustible field of exertion and 
enterprise as Canada, is as nothing compared to the 
appalling prospects, particularly for large families, 
that await the declining and the friendless in an 
overpopulated country. 

Upon a subject of this kind, however, which ap- 
plies to men of broken fortunes or narrow means at 
home, and refers to habits of mind and disposition as 
various as the features of the face, opinion will of 
course be as various and it will be difficult to point 
out any general rule upon the subject ; unless the 

accompanied with a condition, that, if rejected, these paupers 
should not become in future entitled to parochial relief.' — 
(Vide Minutes of Evidence, ^c, Third Repo7't, p. 401.) It should 
be added, however, that the colonization, against which the 
Nottingham artificers entertained such prejudices, was that to 
the Cape of Good Hope, — Canada not being then so well known 
and appreciated as a field for emigration. A few, however, did 
consent to go ; and, after being supplied with every necessary, 
were shipped to Algoa bay. The result is well known. 



INTRODUCTION. 11 

feeling of necessity itself, in a mind of some decision, 
is sufficiently strong to overcome all obstacles to the 
undertakings and a resolute self-denial and perse- 
vering industry in the execution., comes into active 
operation, to ensure ultimate comfort and inde- 
pendence, as it no doubt will do. As to persons who 
have been accustomed to city comforts and city excite- 
ment at home, the question of the expediency of emi- 
gration, as far as their own feelings are concerned, 
is one of the mind, still more than even the habits ; 
therefore, the mind itself is the most competent, from 
its own consciousness, to give the answer. To some 
minds, the mere feeling of conscious prosperity and 
prospective independence, is sufficient to make labour 
itself an enjoyment, and petty inconveniences a sub- 
ject of mirth rather than spleen ; while to others, 
these latter things are subjects of constant murmur 
and harassment. Upon this point we have the 
following opinion, in reference even to the greatest 
preliminary hardships of the worst provided settlers, 
by the son of the well-known Colonel Talbot, the 
celebrated colonizer on lake Erie, Upper Canada, 
whose experience and opportunities of observation 
well entitle him to be heard on any part of this snb- 
ject. 

* It is a grievance of no inconsiderable magnitude,' 
says he, ' to be compelled, after a day of severe 
labour, to stretch one's weary limbs on the bare 
ground in the cold month of November, and to be 
protected from the " fierce North- wind, with liis 



12 INTRODUCTION. 

airy forces," and from the chilling frost, only by 
a miserable hut, with a fire sufficiently near it to 
counteract, in some degree, their benumbing effects. 
But the hope of independence is sufficient to sustain 
the mind under privations still greater than these ; 
and he, who can bring himself to think, when lying 
down to rest on the bare earth, that the day is not 
far distant when he may happily repose on a more 
inviting couch, without one anxious thought respect- 
ing the future prospects of himself and his family, 
regards these transient sufferings with a kind of feel- 
ing nearly allied to actual pleasure. He sees the 
time fast approaching, when the wilderness to him 
shall be "a fruitful field, and the desert shall blos- 
som as the rose;" — when the productive soil shall 
gratefully yield an ample reward to his toils ; — and 
when the hardships of his situation shall, by the 
blessing of heaven on his exertions, gradually disap- 
pear, and leave him in possession of health, plenty, 
and independence. While indulging in such pleasing 
visions, the wooden pillow of a new and industrious 
settler becomes softer than bolsters of down , and his 
solitary blanket feels more comfortable that sheets of 
Holland *.' 

These considerations will apply well to the feelings 
of a still better class of persons, whom the vicissi- 
tudes of life in this commercial country are daily re- 
ducing to circumstances and prospects, which they 
and their families well may look upon with dismay. 
* Talbot's Five Years^ Residence in the Canadas, vol. i. p. 118. 



INTRODUCTION. ^^ 

To such individuals, the prospect of losing caste in 
their own country, of descending beneath and being 
avoided by their former equals ; of incurring, in 
sliort, the common consequences of misfortune, in 
respect to social intercourse and estimation in arti- 
ficial life, — presents often an evil more terrible to a 
proud mind than the want of bread itself ; and rouses, 
in its most imperative form, the high resolves and 
deep determination which grow out of the most ur- 
gent operation of the great principle of necessity. To 
liide their heads in the wilderness, therefore, and sub- 
mit to contend with the evils with which Nature sur- 
rounds the first intruder upon her domain, rather than 
further grapple with ills that seem more intensely 
galling, and are certainly mixed with less ultimate 
promise, has been the resolve of not a few deter- 
mined minds, and, where there are any means left 
to begin the world on the other side, is a disposition 
which can hardly miss the reward of activity, and the 
triumph of its own perseverance. These are the sort 
of persons whom the late clever engineer Mactag- 
gart designates as those who have been * badgered 
and abused' at home, but who, in spite of all their 
misfortunes, having a little cash left, if their minds are 
unbroken and their frames healthy, make, after all, 
the best settlers in Canada. 

It is for persons of this sort, as well as all who, 
possessing intelligence and minds disposed to enter- 
prise and activity, with some little substance that they 
cannot make a safe or hopeful use of at home, that 



14 INTRODUCTION. 

we more particularly design the information and 
opinion collected or condensed in the following 
pages. These we give as far as convenient in dif- 
ferent shapes, that individuals may be better enabled 
to form a judgment, both as to the difficulties to be 
encountered, and the nature and extent of the pro- 
mised advantages. Particulars as to these, however, 
will be more fully given in the latter part of the 
volume, and in the shape of statement or quotation in 
the Appendix. As the evils of home to the better 
classes of whom we have been speaking, are chiefly 
those of the mind and habits, including the incessant 
cares, fears, despondency, and harassment, which are 
incident to a life of narrow circumstances, or com- 
mercial vicissitude ; the evils to be endured in such a 
place as the Canadas, after the first difficulties are 
surmounted, seem chiefly to assume the shapes of 
mental and social privation, with unwonted field em- 
ployment, and in general a certain rudeness and rus- 
ticity, as well as loneliness of life, to which some 
minds take with tolerable facility, while others never 
can thoroughly bend into it. To these last, therefore, 
the occupations, as well as the rewards of coloniza- 
tion, only gives them a new modification of that con- 
stitutional discontent, which to many is the common 
burden and curse of existence. But this disposition, 
however common, is very difl'erent from the clear- 
headed, a priori perception, manly resolution, and 
heroic perseverance of stronger minds, which, in cases 
such as that of Mr. Philemon Wright, the American, 



INTRODUCTION. , 15 

(see Appendix,) Colonel Talbot, on lake Erie, the 
Highland Chieftain M'Nab, on the Ottawa, and a 
hundred others now prospering in Canada, have been 
the foundation of such marked colonizing success. 

To persons to whom colonization in Canada is, to 
a great degree, matter of choice, the consideration of 
time of life is, by all writers, allowed to be one of the 
most important. AVere young inen of the handi- 
craft class more generally to train themselves for 
putting forth their exertions in the extensive field 
of a new country^ much misery would be saved 
to themselves and their descendants. But man is 
a gambler in his own fortune ; and, while life is 
young and hope is fresh, he would rather take his 
fate among the vast array of blanks that appear 
around him, for the barest chance of the solitary 
prize that occasionally turns up to his competitors, 
than betake himself to a country where the very 
nature of things makes the advantages sure, and 
almost present. So it is with persons in the better 
classes of life, — buoyed up by hope, they struggle on 
from disappointment to disappointment, until the 
rational emigrant who has gone before, tells him at 
last that it is now too late. 

The next common consideration of the highest im- 
portance is, with reference to making provisions for 
growing families. At home, every one knows, there 
is not a more difficult problem that an anxious parent 
has to solve, than, what he is to dowith his children? 
Unless, then, he possesses some peculiar advantages 



16 



INTRODUCTIO-V. 



for placing them eligibly in the world, few contem- 
plations can be more melancholy than their probable 
career, left to struggle with the overwhelming com- 
petitions of overpeopled society. It is these consi- 
derations that often make the elderly parent seek an 
asylum for himself, and a field for the independence 
of his family, among the echoing forests of the Ca- 
nadian wilderness. 

To all these classes, however, and particularly to 
a restless scheming sort of men who have dabbled in 
many of the artificial employments of the old country, 
it is important to observe, that while in England 
there is an endless variety of profession and occu- 
pation, in Canada there is, properly speaking, only 
one ; or at least, that, excepting for a few of the 
simplest artisan employments, farming, and farming 
only, should be looked to as the staple profession of 
all who mean to emigrate. The plans and enterprises 
that are connected with farming, and the raising of a 
new settlement, will always commend themselves to 
an active mind, but they bear no proportion to the 
staple concerns of the clearing of land and the raising 
of produce, to which a steady and rational mind 
ought to give its first attention. Though the various 
shades of folly, as to emigration, that grow out of 
the vices and discontents of an old country, ought to 
be discouraged, boili as to their wild plans and extra- 
vagant hopes, yet it seems, after all, to be a general 
rule, in respect to this interesting field of human 
exertion, that any, or ' every individual,' as Howison 



INTRODUCTION. 17 

expresses it, ' who to youth and health joins persever- 
ance and industry, Avill eventually prosper.' 

' Mechanics,' adds the same observer, ' cannot 
fail to do well in Upper Canada ; for, when not em- 
ployed in clearing lands, they will find it easy to gain 
a little money by working at their professions ; and 
they likewise have the advantage of being able to 
improve their dwelling-houses, and repair their farm- 
ing utensils at no expense *.' 

The sort of mechanics recommended for emigration 
by the Canada Company, — even to Upper Canada, 
in which the wants of the population may be supposed 
to be more limited than in the Lower Province, 
where there are several cities — are ' working artisans 
of almost all descriptions, particularly blacksmiths, 
carpenters, bricklayers, and plasterers ; masons, 
coopers, millwrights, and wheelwrights, get high 
wages, and are much wanted.' ' Industrious men, 
adds the Company, ' may look forward with con- 
fidence to an improvement in their situation, as they 
may save enough out of one season's work, to buy 
land themselves, in settled townships.' 

"With respect, however, to another shade of the 
merely clever classes, the opinion of Mr. Talbot, 

* Howison's Upper Canada, p. 239. See also an excellent 
description of the proceedings of a new settlement, and of 
Andrew Gimlet, a carpenter, in I\Ir. Gait's ' Bogle Corbet,' 
vol. iii. p. 31 — 142, &c. See in this book, Appendix Paper C, 
an interesting account of the early proceedings of Mr. Wright 
and his associates, in the township of Hull, published at the 
expense of the Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada. _ 

C 



18 INTRODUCTION-. 

formerly quoted, is mucli to the point. He says, 
* with respect to the emigration of yomig men 
of talent and enterprise, but of no particuhir profes- 
sion, I think it my duty, most decidedly to urge upon 
their choice the preference that is due to the king- 
doms of Europe, and especially to that of Great 
Britain. For they who imagine that any other part 
of Canada, than the cities of Montreal and Quebec, 
is favourable to their views of literary, scientific, or 
commercial advancement, are of all men the most 
dreadfully deluded. I have heard of many such 
persons, who have recently arrived in the province, 
and I feel sorry to say, that I am not able to men- 
tion a single exception in which they have not been 
compelled to resort to the use of the axe, or to some 
other office which they consider equally degrading*.' 
Mr. Talbot's book, however, was published in 1824. 
since which the reader may allow for some slight 
degree of change. 

Further, as a matter of choice and speculation, 
there is no class to whom colonization in the 
Canadas presents more manifest advantages than 
persons of small capital, — small, independent incomes, 
with large families, whom they are naturally anxious 
to see settled in life ; particularly if such persons and 
their children are at all wilhng to engage heartily 
themselves in active employments, for the sake 
of freedom from despondency, and future comfort. 
Undoubtedly, to persons accustomed to artificial 
* Five Year's Residence, vol. ii. p. 247. 



INTRODUCTION. 19 

circumstances, and possessed of the feelings of gentle- 
men, farming occupations, in a new country, imply 
many sacrifices ; yet, it ought to be recollected that, 
after all, field-labour, and the tilling of the ground, 
are the original and most natural employments of 
man, and even age and the fixed habits of artificial 
life cannot altogether destroy the relish with which 
the healthy mind returns to these, almost at any 
period. In confirmation of this, we have the uni- 
form testimony of most travellers and residents in 
the new country, and the letter of a half- pay officer, 
who, with his family, had emigrated from Wales, and 
settled in Upper Canada, to Captain Basil Hall, 
speaks as strongly to the point, as any that we have 
met with. ' Even a person not brought up to labour, 
and under many disadvantages,' he recommends to 
the step he had himself taken ; particularly, if the 
person had ' a good heart,' and was ' of an indus- 
trious turn, and will turn his hand to anything, he 
will soon better his situation. For example,' he adds, 
* while in England, on half-pay, nearly all my income 
went for food ; here it nearly all goes for clothing of 
British manufacture. My family is supported with 
respectability and comfort, having abundance of all 
the necessaries of life within my farm, and my pay 
enabhng me to supply all other requisites. Here 
we can keep the door of hospitality open without 
inconvenience, and fiind leisure to visit our friends, 
and enjoy ourselves in a pleasant way, keeping a 
pair of good horses, sleighs, &c. &c. 

c 2 



20 INTRODUCTION. 

' Persons with families, as they have the most 
urgent reasons to migrate, so they will always make 
the best settlers. Their children can assist mate- 
rially in the mode of farming pursued on wild land, 
and may do so without its being looked upon as a 
degradation. If they are well educated, there is 
little doubt of their advancement in the professions ; 
and if not, they will be always sure of a provision 
by farming, as their parents may, with a moderate 
outlay, acquire property for them. As British 
goods of almost every description are now brought 
down to a moderate price, gentlemen coming out 
will do well not to stock themselves with more than 
they want for their own use, as they will find their 
money more useful than superfluous articles of any 
description ; and such, with an income of from fifty 
to two hundred pounds a year, with prudence, may 
live in the most comfortable and respectable way 
here, being able, by means of a farm, to supply the 
table with abundance, and to enjoy themselves at 
their leisure, in as good society as can be found in 
most country towns in England. Indeed, were it not 
for the differences of fences, occasional dissight of 
old stumps, or dead standing trees, and now and 
then " I guess," a person in this neighbourhood 
can hardly fancy himself in a foreign country. 

' It is a great error, and to be lamented, that most 
gentlemen from the old country, as the United 
Kingdom is called, bring too much of theirnative 
prejudices with them here ; by which means, they 



INTRODUCTION". 21 

often expend much money uselessly, and frequently 
get into difficulties ; and I have known some 
wholly fail from such imprudence. It is from 
such that unfavourable accounts of this country 
originate. I think it should be a rule for persons 
coming to a new country, always first to follow the 
customs of that country as closely as possible, 
reserving their improvements till they get firmly 
established, and see good reason to apply them. 
It should generally be an object for gentlemen, if 
they settle in new townships, to endeavour to get 
near another, or others, of character, already settled ; 
as, by this means they will have a good chance to 
be set in the right way, and thereby saved from 
much imposition, besides the pleasure of having 
at hand a friend, and society suited to their taste. 
As land may be bought at very easy rates and 
price — seven, and even ten years, allowed to pay it 
in, — it will be preferable for a gentleman, or any 
person with small means, to purchase near settle- 
ments, or on main roads, as they will thereby avoid 
many difficulties I had to contend with.' — Letter^ &c. 
in Hall's North America, vol. i. pp. 333 to 335. 

* A settler in this country,' says another, writing 
to the same intelligent traveller, * though he may 
have an income, must do all he can to assist in 
getting on the work ; and he must come here with 
the full determination to become a farmer to all intents 
and purposes. The lady must be a good economist 
and housekeeper; and if she is willing, contented, 



22 INTRODUCTION. 

and reasonable, she will have it in her power to save 
her husband many an hour of anxiety and pain. 

* Try to surmount all difficulties ; and as there is 
always constant employment for both head and 
hands, never for a moment let your mind dwell on 
your apparent unpleasant situation ; look forward 
with hope, and all will go on well, no danger.' — 
Ih. p. 320. 

' Half-pay officers under field rank,' Mr. Talbot 
also says, ' who have large families and are chiefly 
dependent on their pay for their support, will find 
this county a very advantageous place of retreat. 
They are exempted from personal labour in the field, 
because they are enabled by the receipt of their 
money to have their estates cultivated by hired men ; 
and thus they continue in the same sphere of life, 
with regard to their non-professional emjjloyments, 
in which they had been accustomed to move, though 
they cannot mix with the same agreeable society.' — 
Five Years' Residence^ vol. ii. p. 246. 

Upon deciding in favour of colonization, the next 
question for the individual is, as to the quarter or 
spot to which he shall emigrate. In this important 
inquiry, w^e take it for granted that the intending 
emigrant decides in favour of either of the Canadas ; 
as the general question with reference to the various 
parts of the world to which the attention of the super- 
abundant population of the United Kingdom has 
been directed of late years, is too wide a subject to 
be considered here. But the comparative nearness 



INTRODUCTION. 23 

of the Canadas to tlie mother-country ; the known 
salubrity of the climate, and their being peopled in 
general by persons of European habits, who differ but 
little from those of the emigrant ; must ever make this 
the first country looked to for the choice of British 
subjects. In addition to these important consider- 
ations, the known richness and productiveness of the 
soil, which has been abundantly proved of late 
years ; the facilities afforded of water communication, 
throughout the whole tract of country, by means of 
its noble rivers and extensive lakes ; the comparative 
nearness of all parts of it to markets and home asso- 
ciations, and its rapid progress of settlement by indi- 
viduals from the same country, and prosecuting simi- 
lar pursuits ; — all these considerations give Lower and 
Upper Canada a preference in the mind of the enter- 
prising colonist with capital, as well as in that of the 
anxious, and industrious poor man, which every day's 
experience seems to increase. 

* The colonies in North America/ says the official 
paper published by authority of the Commissioners 
for Emigration, ' to which emigrants can with advan- 
tage proceed, are Lower Canada, Upper Canada, 
and New Brunswick. From the reports received 
from the other British colonies in North America, 
namely. Prince Edward's Island, Newfoundland, 
Nova Scotia, and Cape Breton, it appears that they 
do not contain tlie means either of affording em- 
ployment or wages, to a considerable number of 
emigrants, or of settling them upon land.' — In- 
formation, p. 8. 



24 INTRODUCTION. 

Witli regard to the preparations for emigrating, 
when the mind is made up, all that need be said upon 
this part of our subject, comes within small compass, 
and is soon disposed of. The great and general 
preparation, applying to the poorest class upwards, 
is the gathering together of as much money as can 
possibly be mustered; for this, of course, commands 
the greatest number of advantages. Mattresses and 
bedding will be required for the voyage, and these 
will, of course, be a most valuable species of luggage 
to carry afterwards to places of settlement ; but 
clothing, and most other goods necessary in the in- 
terior, can be purchased in Montreal, &c., much about 
as cheaply as in England, and suitable qualities are 
better understood. Gentlemen, however, to whom 
luxuries for the table, &c., are of some importance, 
such as sauces, pickles, &c., had better furnish them- 
selves before their embarkation, as the carriage of 
these on the other side will be quite the same as 
from the frontier towns. 

To every class, however, who intend to work, and 
this must include nearly the whole, there is one spe- 
cies of preparation, which, when it can be made, will 
be found of the utmost benefit to the^ industrious 
settler. That is, some little acquaintance with one 
or more of the* useful trades, a hint that is well illus- 
trated by Mr. Gait, in his ' Bogle Corbet,' where he 
makes a smart lad, who had gone to the woods with- 
out any handicraft knowledge, and had only been 
accustomed to the duties of a domestic servant, attend 
for a time ' a blacksmith, a carpenter, and a tailor 



INTRODUCTION. 25 

alternately, twice in each week during the winter/ 
even after his arrival in Canada. 

* I do not mean,' adds Mr. Gait, speaking of this 
plan, ' that all young persons who come to the colo- 
nies should be fully instructed in any trade ; but, 
were emigration conducted on proper principles, 
instead of encouraging the helpless to come abroad, 
and then leaving them to shift for themselves, I 
would have them prospectively prepared by some 
instruction in handicrafts. It is the want of it, as 
I had by this time seen, that makes the privations 
of the woods greater than they would otherwise be.' 
—vol iii. p. 136. 

With respect to the port whence the emigrant 
ought to proceed, there is no other rule but to take 
the one nearest to where he resides in the United 
Kingdom, as this being the most convenient, will be 
found generally the cheapest. From all ports, such 
as Liverpool, London, Hull, Greenock, Cork, &c., 
there will be found, every spring, vessels going out 
in ballast to the Canadas for timber, whose interiors 
are fitted up for emigrant passengers. In reference 
to proposed emigrants of the poorer sort, who may 
have friends in America whom they wish to get near, 
and who may have little acquaintance with the geo- 
graphy of that part of the world, there is one point 
of the utmost importance for them to attend to, 
namely, when they arrive in any port wliere they 
mean to embark, to seek out the Agent either for the 
Canada Company already appointed at all the principal 
ports, or of the Agents of the British American Land 



26 INTRODUCTION. 

Association, hereafter to be established ; and when 
they have found tliese gentlemen, to enquire par- 
ticularly /or the place where their friends live^ men- 
tioning as near as they can the district, county, or 
township, as, for want of such enquiries, persons 
itrnorant of the vast extent of British America, have 
often taken passages for a totally different quarter, 
and never reached their friends for months or years 
after their landing. The Agents already established 
by the Canada Company are — 

Bristol — Messrs. Acraman. 

Dublin — John Astle, Esq. 

Greenock — Messrs. Robert Ewing and Co. 

Omagh, Londonderry — George Buchanan, Esq. 

Glasgow — Messrs. Gilkison and Brown. 

New Ross, Ireland — Messrs. Watson and Graves. 

Great Yarmouth — Mr. Anthony Morgan. 

Norwich — Mr. Isaac Lenny. 

The different ship-owners and brokers in the 
Canada trade, at the several out-ports, will generally 
be ready to give proposed emigrants every informa- 
tion in their power; and poor persons, having the 
good sense to make their enquiries in a respectful, 
intelligent manner, and never in any case to apply to 
other than respectable gentlemen, will always meet 
with proper attention, and be saved from imposition. 

All other preliminary information, particularly cal- 
culated for settlers of the poorer class, may be found, 
in official form, in the following paper, published 
from authority, by the Commissioners for Emigra- 
tion, and calculated for this present season. 



27 



INFORMATION, published by his Majesty's Com- 
missioners for Emigration, respecting the British 
Colonies in North America. 

Colonial Office, 

9th February, 1832. 

' The object of the present notice is to afford such 
information as is likely to be useful to persons who 
desire either to emigrate, or to assist others to emi- 
grate, to the British Possessions in North America. 

' In the first place, it seems desirable to define the 
nature of the assistance to be expected from Govern- 
ment by persons proceeding to these colonies. No 
pecuniary aid will be allowed by government to emi- 
grants to the North American colonies; nor, after 
their arrival, will they receive grants of land, or gifts 
of tools, or a supply of provisions. Hopes of all these 
things have been sometimes held out to emigrants by 
speculators in this country, desirous of making a 
profit by their conveyance to North America, and 
willing for that purpose to delude them with un- 
founded expectations, regardless of their subsequent 
disappointment. But the wish of government is to 
furnish those who emigrate with a real knowledge of 
the circumstances they will find in the countries to 
which they are going. 

' No assistance of the extraordinary extent above 
described is allowed, because in colonies where those 



28 INTRODUCTION. 

who desire to work cannot fail to do well for them- 
selves, none such is needed. Land, indeed, used 
formerly to be granted gratuitously ; but when it was 
taken by poor people, they found that they had not 
the means of living during the interval necessary to 
raise their crops, and further, that they knew not 
enough of the manner of farming in the colonies to 
make any progress. After all, therefore, they were 
obliged to work for wages, until they could make a 
few savings, and could learn a little of the way of 
farming in Canada. But now, land is not disposed 
of except by sale. The produce of the sales, although 
the price is very moderate, is likely to become a con- 
siderable fund, which can be turned to the benefit of 
the colonies, and therefore of the emigrants ; while 
yet no hardship is inflicted on the poor emigrant, 
who will work for wages just as he did before, and 
may, after a while, acquire land, if land be his object, 
by the savings which the high wages in these colonies 
enable him speedily to make. 

* These are the reasons why government does not 
think it necessary to give away land in a country, 
where, by the lowness of its price, the plentifulness 
of work, and the high rate of wages, an industrious 
man can earn enough in a few seasons to become a 
freeholder by means of his own acquisitions *. 

' The land which is for sale will be open to public 
competition, and of course, therefore, its price must 
depend upon the offers that may be made ; but 

* See a series of papers D, in the Appendix. 



INTRODUCTION. 29 

it will generally not be sold for less than from 4s. to 
5s. per acre ; and in situations where roads have been 
made, or the ground has been partially cleared, 
the common prices lately have been 7s. 6d., lOs., 
and 15s. Further particulars will be best learned 
upon the spot, where every endeavour will be made 
to meet the different circumstances and views of dif- 
ferent purchasers. 

* Although government will not make any gifts at 
the public expense to emigrants to North America, 
Agents will be maintained at the principal colo- 
nial ports, whose duty it will be, without fee or 
reward from private individuals, to protect emigrants 
against imposition upon their first landing, to ac- 
quaint them with the demand for labour in different 
districts, to point out the most advantageous routes, 
and to furnish them generally with all useful advice 
upon the objects which they have had in view in emi- 
grating. And when a private engagement cannot be 
immediately obtained, employment will be afforded 
on some of the public works in progress in the colo- 
nies. Persons newly arrived should not omit to 
consult the Government Agent for Emigrants, and 
as much as possible should avoid detention in the 
ports, where they are exposed to all kinds of im- 
positions and of pretexts for keeping them at 
taverns till any money they may possess has been ex- 
pended. — For the same purpose of guarding against 
the frauds practised on new comers, and of prevent- 
ing an improvident expenditure at the first moment 



so INTRODUCTION. 

of arrival, it seems very desirable that individuals 
who may wish to furnish emigrants with money for 
their use in the colony, should have the means of 
making the money payable there, instead of giving 
it into the hands of the emigrants in this country. 
The Commissioners for Emigration are engaged in 
effecting general arrangements for this purpose, and 
due notice will be given to the public when they shall 
be completed. Agents for emigration have been 
appointed at St. John's, St. Andrew's, and Miramichi 
in New Brunswick; and at Quebec and York in 
Canada. The Agent at Quebec is A. C. Buchanan, 
Esq. ; at St. John's, A. Wedderburn, Esq. ; at sSt. 
Andrews, G, N. Smith, Esq. ; at Miramichi, J. 
Cunard, Esq. ; the name of the Agent at York has 
not yet been reported to the Colonial Department. 
On this whole subject of the manner of proceeding 
upon landing, it may be observed, in conclusion, that 
no effort will be spared to exempt emigrants from 
any necessity for delay at the place of disembarka- 
tion, and from uncertainty as to the opportunities of 
at once turning their labour to account. 

* After this explanation of the extent of the aid to be 
expected from government, the following statements 
are subjoined of the ordinary charges for passage to 
the North American Colonies, as well as of the usual 
rates of wages and usual prices in them, in order 
that every individual may have the means of judging 
for himself of the inducements to emigrate to these 
parts of the British dominions.* 



INTRODUCTION. SI 



PASSAGE. 



* Passages to Quebec or New Brunswick may either 
be engaged inclusive of provisions ; or exclusive 
of provisions, in which case the ship-owner finds 
nothing but water, fuel, and bed-places, without 
bedding. Children under fourteen years of age are 
charged one half, and under seven years of age one 
third of the full price ; and for children under twelve 
months of age no charge is made. Upon these 
conditions the price of passage from London, or from 
places on the east coast of Great Britain, has gene- 
rally been £6 with provisions, or ^3 without. 
From Liverpool, Greenock, and the principal ports of 
Ireland, as the chances of delay are fewer, the charge 
is somewhat lower ; this year it will probably be 
from £2 to £2 10s. without provisions, or from £4: 
to £b including provisions. It is possible that, in 
March and April, passages may be obtained from 
Dublin for 355., or even 30^. ; but the prices always 
grow higher as the season advances. In ships sail- 
ing from Scotland or Ireland, it has mostly been the 
custom for passengers to find their own provisions ; 
but this practice has not been so general in London ; 
and some ship-owners, sensible of the dangerous 
mistakes which may be made in this matter through 
ignorance, are very averse to receive passengers 
who will not agree to be victualled by the ship. 
Those who do resolve to supply their own provisions, 



32 INTRODUCTION. 

should at least be careful not to lay in an insufficient 
stock ; fifty days is the shortest period for which it 
is safe to provide, and from London the passage is 
sometimes prolonged to seventy-five days. 

' The best months for leaving England are certainly 
March and April ; the later emigrants do not find 
employment so adundant, and have less time in the 
colony before the commencement of winter. The 
names of vessels proceeding to the North American 
colonies, and the addresses of their brokers, may be 
learnt at all ports of the United Kingdom, including 
the port of London, by j^ersoiml application at the 
Custom- House of each port. The officers of cus- 
toms, however, will not be able to answer written 
inquiries on the subject ; and persons residing inland, 
who may require information of this nature, must 
depute the inquiry to some one at the port where 
they wish to embark. Many ships are advertised in 
the public newspapers. 

' Various frauds are attempted upon emigrants, 
which can only be effectually defeated by the good 
sense of the parties against whom they are contrived. 
Sometimes agents take payment from the emigrant 
for his passage, and then recommend him to some 
tavern, where he is detained from day to day, under 
false pretences for delay, until, before the departure 
of the ship, the whole of his money is extracted from 
him. This of course cannot happen with agents 
connected with respectable houses ; but the best 
security is to name in the bargain for passage a par- 



INTRODUCTION. 33 

ticular day, after which, whether or not the ship sails, 
tlie passenger is to be received on board and vic- 
tualled by the owners. In this mannei: the emigrant 
cannot be intentionally brought to the place of em- 
barkation too soon, and be compelled to spend his 
money at public-houses, by false accounts of the 
time of sailing; for from the very day of his arrival 
at the port, being the day previously agreed upon, 
the ship becomes his home. 

' The conveyance of passengers to the British pos- 
sessions in North America is regulated by an Act of 
Parliament (9 Geo. IV. c. 21), of which the follow- 
ing are the principal provisions : ships are not 
allowed to carry passengers to these colonies unless 
they be of the height of five feet and a half between 
decks, and they must not carry more than three pas- 
sengers for every four tons of the registered burthen ; 
there must be on board at least fifty gallons of pure 
water, and fifty pounds of bread, biscuit, oatmeal, or 
bread stuff, for each passenger. When the ship 
carries the full number of passengers allowed by law, 
no part of the cargo, and no stores or provisions, 
may be carried between decks ; but if there be less 
than the complete number of passengers, goods may 
be stowed between decks in a proportion not exceed- 
ing three cubical feet for each passenger wanting of 
the highest number. Masters of vessels who land 
passengers, unless with their own consent, at a place 
different from that originally agreed upon, are sub- 
ject to a penalty of ^20, ecoverable by summary 

D 



34 INTRODUCTION. 

process before two Justices of the Peace in any of 
the North American colonies. 

*■ The enforcement of this law rests chiefly with the 
officers of his Majesty's Customs ; and persons 
having complaints to make of its infraction, should 
address themselves to the nearest custom-house. 

' Besides the sea voyage from England, persons pro- 
ceeding to Canada should be provided with the means 
of paying for the journey wliich they may have to 
make after their arrival at Quebec. The cost of this 
journey must, of course, depend upon the situation of 
the place where the individual may find employment, 
or where he may have previously formed a wish to 
settle ; but to all it will probably be useful to possess 
the following report of the prices of conveyance, 
during the last season, on the route from Quebec to 
York, the capital of Upper Canada. From Quebec 
to Montreal (180 miles), by steam- boat, the charge 
for an adult was 6s. 6d. ; from Montreal to Prescot 
(120 miles), by boats or barges, 7^. ; from Prescot 
to York (250 miles), by steam-boat, 75. The 
journey, performed in this manner, usually occupies 
ten or twelve days; adding, therefore, lis. for pro- 
visions, the total cost from Quebec to York (a dis- 
tance of 550 miles) may be stated, according to the 
charges of last year, at ^1. lis. 6d. Persons who 
are possessed of sufficient means prefer to travel by 
land that part of the route where the river St. 
Lawrence is not navigable by steam-boats, and the 
journey is then usually performed in six days, at a 



INTRODUCTION. 35 

cost of £6. It must be observed that tlie prices of 
conveyance are necessarily fluctuating, and that the 
foregoing account is only presented as sufficiently 
accurate for purposes of information in this country ; 
leaving it to the government agent at Quebec to 
supply emigrants with more exact particulars, accord- 
ing to the circumstances of the time at which they 
may arrive.' 

These remarks are admitted to be very judicious, 
and coming from the Colonial OiSce in Downing 
Street, reflect credit on the information and intelli- 
gence of government. It is, however, to be observed, 
that the pamphlet, published by authority, from 
which this extract has been made, cannot, in its 
other parts, be entitled to so much praise, as the 
prices of labour, as well as of agricultural produce, 
are ever more or less variable. But with caution, 
they are nevertheless worthy of consideration, inas- 
much as they may be said to supply medium points, 
below which prices may be found sometimes to fall, 
and in like manner to rise above them. It is, how- 
ever to be noticed, that the Emigration Board has 
chiefly in view the offer of advice to poor emigrants, 
in the publication alluded to, and in so far it merits 
special approbation, but emigrants of a better class 
stand scarcely less in need of counselling, though it 
must be of another sort. 

The only thing to be added to what has been 
suggested on the subject of preparation for emigration, 

D 2 



6 INTRODUCTION. 

in reference to disengaged young men of the labour- 
ing class, is thus simply expressed by Mr. Pickering, 
an intelligent, practical farmer from the West of 
England, who emigrated in 1824, and has spent 
several years in Upper Canada. 

* I would recommend,' he says, ' those that intend 
to marry, to bring out wives with them, if they can 
get good ones. Women are wanted ; and, although 
there is no very great scarcity, there are more males 
than females, which is the reverse of England; 
therefore it would be a pity to increase the number 
of the latter, already unavoidably doomed to re- 
main single; and besides, generally speaking, a 
man will find a woman of his own country more 
congenial to his habits and taste, as a wife, than any 
other. This is not a bad country for single females 
to come to as house servants ; they will get from 
205. to 30s. a month ; and, if steady, industrious, 
and deserving, may probably soon (if they choose) 
becomp the mistress of a house of their own. 
Strong, handy boys will get the same wages per 
month, and board. 

* The inducements held out by Canada to men of 
capital, combined with skill, are great, and equal 
to any country. Money can be invested in almost 
every kind of property to advantage, if done with 
judgment: — ^in purchasing land, particularly near 
towns and villages that must increase ; in building 
houses, mills, &c. ; in establishing breweries on a 
moderate scale ; in distilleries, furnaces, and forges, 



INTRODUCTION. 37 

and all manufactures.' — Emigration or no Emi" 
gratio7i, Appendix^ p. 126. 

In respect of comforts for tlie voyage, besides 
taking care that lie has due and healthful accommo- 
dation in the ship in which he takes his passage, such 
considerations will naturally suggest themselves to 
the common sense of the intelligent and provident 
emigrant, however poor, according to his means, and 
the necessities of his previous habits, in encounter- 
ing the discomforts' of a voyage across the Atlantic. 
Poor passengers are now pretty well protected from 
imposition, if they go in respectable vessels : we, 
however, think the following suggestions of a late 
intelligent settler in the township of Perth, Upper 
Canada, worthy of quotation, — sea-sickness, and its 
concomitant sufferings, on first leaving their native 
shores, having more effect upon the spirits, and 
perhaps the success, of emigrants, than is generally 
supposed. — 

' In some ships,' says this reverend colonizer, 
* you may find abundance of good and wholesome 
food for the passengers, but in others, it is scarcely 
fit for hogs. Even when the captain engages to 
find provisions, as sickness may be expected, pas- 
sengers would do well to carry a few necessary 
articles along with them, such as currant-jelly, 
gooseberry -jam, raisins, gingerbread, eggs, cheese, 
butter, tea, sugar, &c. A few simple medicines 
should also be at hand, and all should take physic 
whenever they come ashore, even though they 



38 INTRODUCTIOX. 

should not be sick. For want of this precaution, 
many are laid up with a flux, for months after they 
arrive, and most of the children that die, are carried 
off by that disorder.' — Be.lCs Hints to Emigrajits, 
p. 165 *. 

On arrival at Quebec, the emigrant will receive 
every necessary information from Mr. Buchanan, the 
Government Agent, and the only general advice he 
requires is not to suffer himself to be persuaded by 
any one to linger in that city or Montreal, but to 
proceed at once, either into the interior, or to the 
Upper Province. In the mean time, the study of 
the following geographical and statistical account of 
the two provinces, with particulars of the advantages 
or disadvantages of the several localities and town- 
ships, will the better enable him to form a choice, 
both as to the rout he shall take, and to his future 
settlement, in a country whose superfices is so ex- 
tended, and whose several points and situations for 
industry form so many temptations to the enter- 
prizing mind. 

* See also paper E, Appendix. 



GEOGRAPHICAL AND TOPOGRA- 
PHICAL SKETCHES. 



PART I. 
LOWER CANADA. 

The proposed settler in any of the Canadas will find 
the importance and benefit of making himself familiar 
with the map of both provinces, that he may have 
a clear idea in his mind, not only of the general 
shape of the country, but of the relative situations of 
the principal places, in order fully to understand the 
comparative advantages and disadvantages of those 
localities among which he may have to make a choice 
for the stage of his future exertions. Presuming 
upon his knowledge in this respect, we shall, in that 
part of our subject so important to proposed settlers, 
namely, topograpliical sketches of the different divi- 
sions of this extensive country, avoid, as much as pos- 
sible, those minute descriptions of situation and those 
repetitions of unfamiliar names, which are so embar- 
rassing at first to the English enquirer. In order 
further to assist the emigrant of substance in forming 
his choice, before descending to the particulars of the 
two Canadas respectively, we shall commence, by a 
few comprehensive observations, to give him some 
general idea of the natural and present state of the 



40 TOPOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 

whole country from the mouth of the St. Lawrence ta 
the great Lake Huron, beyond which there is scarcely 
any settlement in Upper Canada. 

The lower part of the St. Lawrence, near the Gulf, 
as the stranger enters this great river, consists, both 
north and south, of a wild country but little settled, 
except by fishers and lumberers. To the north, that 
vast and wild mountainous country, which extends 
from the Saguenay River considerably up the St. 
Lawrence eastward, round the coast and the gulf, 
until it joins the great tract of Labrador, is generally 
styled the Domaine ; and, excepting the solitary and 
picturesque settlement of Portneuf, a small trading 
port, situated about 40 miles below the Saguenay 
River, for the convenience of the fur-traders of the inte- 
rior and those connected with the fisheries on the coast, 
hardly a human habitation is to be seen to relieve the 
gloom of dark pine-woods and bold mountains. On 
the south side of the river, at its mouth, is the inferior 
district of Gaspe ; above that, the superior district of 
Quebec embraces both sides of the St. Lawrence, and 
possesses, besides, the advantage of the important 
river Chaudiere and its branches intersecting the 
country from a great distance to the south ; and above 
this, the district of Three Eivers, — so called from the 
same number of considerable streams flowing also 
into the chief recipient of the Candian waters, — in- 
cludes an extensive tract of territory, which, parti- 
cularly towards the south, and meeting the inferior 
district of St. Francis, will be found most eligibly 
situated for the purposes of settlement. The district 



LOWER CANADA. 41 

of Montreal lies next, higher up the St. Lawrence, on 
both sides also of that river, distinguished by its ex- 
traordinary facilities of water-carriage and internal 
communication, as may be seen from the slightest 
inspection of the map. This extensive district, the 
most inland of Lower Canada, meets the United 
States territory to the south, by the counties of 
Huntingdon and Bedford, lying on both sides the 
river Richelieu, at its confluence with Lake Champlain, 
—joins the province of Upper Canada at Point-au- 
Baudet, on the St. Lawrence, as may be seen on the 
map by a double dotted line running from thence 
northward to the Great Ottawa River, and includes 
the island and county of Montreal, which, together 
with the Isle of Jesus, lying to the north of it, occu- 
pies that lake- shaped space of land and water which 
is formed by the confluence of the two great rivers 
just alluded to. 

The reader who is seeking some general acquaint- 
ance with this extensive country, will here observe, that 
from the imaginary line on the 45th degree of north 
latitude, which divides Lower Canada from the terri- 
tory of the United States, all the rest of the country 
westward and south, along the St. Lawrence, the 
Lake Ontario, as well as at the east side of the waters 
of the Niagara, the south of Lake Erie, and round to 
the western side of the great Lake Huron, belongs to 
the States ; and that Upper Canada stretches west- 
ward along the northern side of the St. Lawrence, 
and the Lakes Ontario and Erie, and is inclosed on 
that side by the eastern limb of Lake Huron ; by the 



42 TOPOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 

French River, which unites the latter portion of the 
great lake with the smaller Nipissing Lake, far to the 
north, and in a country hardly known as yet ; and by 
the Grand Ottawa River, which, flowing from the 
latter lake, bisects this extensive country northward, 
until it enters Lower Canada and joins the St. Law- 
rence at the island of Montreal. Here it may also 
be mentioned, that all along the banks of the St. 
Lawrence in Lower Canada, particularly to the 
south, where the land is good, — from the seaward 
county of Gaspe westward to the inner boundary of the 
province, and along the same river in Upper Canada 
to the north, as well as the borders of the Lakes On- 
tario and Erie, — the frontage is settled, more or less 
thickly, and partly cleared, to a distance inwards from 
these frontier waters of several miles ; and that the 
lands in all parts are of course enhanced in value as 
well by these natural advantages and the thickness of 
population and local improvements in their neighbour- 
hood, as by the more common quality of the natural 
productiveness of the soil. 

When the proposed settler or purchaser of land in 
the Canadas has made himself acquainted with the 
general geographical form of this part of the country, 
he is thus better prepared for studying or referring 
to those topographical and statistical particulars, 
the knowledge of which is so necessary and useful to 
the intelligent emigrant. 

To return to Lower Canada: the first thing, upon 
inspecting the map, that will strike the enquirer who 
is anxious to decide where he shall set himself down, 



LOWER CANADA. 43 

and at the same time save himself the toil and ex- 
pense of travelling, is the manifest advantages of its 
geographical position, with reference particularly to 
that important advantage, the contiguity of markets 
for the produce of the land. But here it may be pro- 
per to remark, that however important the proximity 
of a shipping market may be to the merchant, it is 
a thing that ought to be but a secondary consideration 
with the emigrant. In all parts of the country, mer- 
cantile stores are to be met with, and it is at these 
stores, properly speaking, that the settler is to seek 
his customer. The fact is, that the little crop of the 
settler is not worthy of being sent, on his own account, 
to the great emporiums, and it should suffice with him 
to find a purchaser for liis produce in the nearest 
store -keeper, rather than incur the risk and expense 
of being himself the sliipper to the sea-ports, with the 
cost of agency there. 

This observation deserves the more attention, as the 
distinction between the market suitable for the settler 
and that for the purchaser of his produce is not suffi* 
ciently considered. When the merchant speaks of 
the advantages of the proximity of markets, he merely 
adverts to the places miost eligible for disposing of 
the produce he has purchased up and down in the 
country, but not of that market which the settler 
should frequent. 

It is but of late, no doubt, that the store-keepers 
in the interior of the country may be said to have 
become generally speculators in produce for the dis- 



44 TOPOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 

tant sea-port markets: but tliose rude and simple 
times are fast wearing away when the trade of the 
country was a kind of barter — money is daily becom- 
ing more plentiful, and the country store-keepers, in 
most places, are now ready to give cash for the grain 
which, in former days, they received in payment of 
debts, or in exchange for other commodities. 

It is, therefore, most earnestly entreated that the 
emigrant will not allow himself to be swayed so much 
with considerations respecting the export markets as 
near or far off, as an individual, a respectable store- 
keeper, in the neighbourhood where he may settle, is 
of far more importance than a general market ; for he 
will find in the store-keeper a satisfactory purchaser, 
who will take upon himself all the risk and chance of 
sending the produce to the remotest emporia, or to 
places where it becomes an object of competition for 
export. 

The comparative advantages offered by the Upper 
and Lower Provinces however, as they apply to dif- 
ferent classes of emigrants, will be more fully noticed 
in a later portion of this book. Meanwhile we shall 
proceed to describe briefly the several districts, 
counties, and townships in both ; and for the sake of 
clearness, as well as the avoiding of technicalities, 
shall commence our general notices at the very 
mouth of the St. Lawrence, and proceeding gradually 
along its course into the interior, pursue the same 
plan of progressing westward, when we come to speak 
of the great divisions of the upper province. 



LOWER CANADA. 45 

To begin with the exterior small district of Gaspt?, 
being the seaward peninsula of the province lying 
between the St. Lawrence to the north, and the Bay of 
Chaleurs and New Brunswick to the south, and nearly 
surrounded by the waters of the former river and the 
gulf of the same name. This tract is bounded at its inner 
or western side by the greater district of Quebec, and, 
possessing so much coast seaward, has been chiefly 
resorted to from its great facilities for fishing; its 
greatest breadth, from north to south, is about 90 
miles. Besides its extensive coast, the interior of 
this district is intersected by numerous rivers falling 
into the gulf of St. Lawrence and the bay of Cha- 
leurs, as also with small lakes almost innumerable, 
which, together with the rivers, abound in fish in 
great variety. 

The face of the country, says Bouchette, is, gene- 
rally speaking, uneven ; in some parts it is decidedly 
mountainous, and the valleys, which are often irre- 
gular and broken, are occasionally intersected by deep 
ravines ; but the mass of the lands is, nevertheless, 
perfectly adapted to agriculture. With the exception 
of some of the higher hills that are thinly clad with a 
diminutive growth of timber, the country is very well 
wooded, the forests chiefly consisting of maple, beech, 
pine, larch, white cedar, spruce, and hemlock ; but 
there is a scarcity of oak, and what there is, is inferior 
in size and quality*. The timber trade of this district 

* As in our notices of the qualities of the land in the dif- 
ferent townships, we shall have frequent occasion to specify the 



46 TOPOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 

has only commenced since 1815, and yet we are in- 
formed, by the same author, in 1825 and 1826 about 
60 sail of vessels were engaged in the trade from 
hence, and the vast quantities of pine timber growing 
in certain parts of the district render this branch of 
trade susceptible of great augmentation. 

The timber trade of Gaspe, however, is surpassed 
by that of its fisheries all along the coast, the chief of 

kinds of timber found growing on them, as miderstood to indi- 
cate the nature of the soil, we give from Mr. Stuart's little 
book, published in 1820, the following general rules upon the 
subject : — 

' The oak and chestnut generally grow on dry ground ; the 
latter more especially on ridges. 

' The black oak and chestnut grow on a sandy and poor soil, 
as do the various species of the pine, including the hemlock. 

' White and red oak, blended with other woods, bespeak a 
strong and lasting soil. 

' Beech and white oak lands seem most favourable for wheat. 

' The maples and black Avalnut, particularly the latter, where 
it grows in large clusters, point out the richest soils ; generally 
low and somewhat damp in a state of nature, but only requiring 
clearance to become abundantly dry. 

' Amongst the underwood, the prickly ash and spice-wood 
promise the best. 

' In a general view, the largest, tallest, and thickest woods 
denote the most fertile soils.' — Stuart's Emigrant's Guide, 
p. 60, &c. 

An opinion begins to prevail that the species of wood found 
on the land indicates also the condition of the soil, several in- 
stances having occiu'red of timber of a different kind rising, 
after that which had been previously removed ; as if nature 
herself gave the example of a succession even in her most per- 
manent crops. 



LOWER CANADA. 47 

which is the cod ; which, with the whale, herring, and 
sahiion fisheries, employ about 2000 persons, and 20 
square-rigged vessels, besides 50 smaller ones in the 
summer exportation. The productiveness of these 
branches of industry has caused the population of 
this district, about SOOO souls, very much to neglect 
agriculture, although there is much good land in 
it. The district also abounds with hme, particularly at 
Gasp6 bay, the north shore of which, as given in evi- 
dence before the Committee on the Crown Lands of 
Lower Canada, ' is, from its entrance, including cape 
Gaspe upwards, a series of capes and precipices of the 
best limestone.' This bay, and particularly the bay of 
Chaleurs, says the Commissioners' Report, ' are sus- 
ceptible of the most improved agriculture.* 

* Indubitable indications of coal mines,' says Col. 
Eouchette, *have been traced in the vicinity of 
Gasp^ bay, on the shores of which, and in the bay 
of Chaleurs are found a variety of pebbles, such as 
cornelian, agate, and jasper, susceptible of the highest 
polish, and rivalling in beauty the precious stones of 
the same description from India.' At and near 
Perce, in certain spots, the capes appear to be partly 
of variegated marble, and are composed of marine 
petrifactions. 

The district of Gaspe is divided into two coun- 
ties, Gasp^ and Bonaventura, and nominally sub- 
divided into ten townships internally, and seven 
seigniories along the coast. But a small portion of 
the whole is settled ; no part of the district has yet 



48 TOPOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 

been erected into parishes ; the few roads in the 
interior are bad and only of the bridle sort, that is, 
such as may be travelled on horseback ; and there is, 
indeed, but little internal communication through a 
district consisting of 7289 square miles of super- 
ficies. Though the soil is in many parts considered 
well adapted to the culture of hemp, as well as corn 
and roots, agriculture of all sorts has as yet been 
so much neglected, for the coasting and timber 
employment, that the country is almost destitute 
of mills and every convenience for such pursuits. 
The advantages of situation will no doubt render this 
district of immense importance hereafter, in the 
several respects of its fisheries, its timber trade, and 
its cultivation. As to climate, though situated up- 
wards of a degree north of Quebec, it is not said to 
be much, if at all, more rigorous than the more 
southern parts of Lower Canada. ' The thermometer,* 
we are told, ' ranges from f^ in winter, to 80 in 
summer, in the shade, the severity of the cold being 
generally tempered by the waters of the expansive 
bay, and the heat of summer moderated by a regular 
lake and sea breeze in the morning, and land wind at 
night.' 



DISTRICT OF QUEBEC, &c. 

The next division of country higher up on the 
same side of the St. Lawrence, and making part 
of the district of Quebec, including the city, is that 



LOWER CANADA. 49 

tract which lies eastward of the Chaudiere river, and 
between it and the district of Gaspe just spoken of. 
The frontier part of this section of Lower Canada 
runs along the southern bank of the St. Lawrence, 
to an extent of 257 miles, from the point where the 
Chaudiere joins the former river, to the line- boundary 
of Gaspe district lower down. This section of coun- 
try meets also, at its southern extremity, the range 
of highland, called Mars-hill, which is understood 
to form the line of separation between Lower Canada 
and the United States territory, the nearest point of 
which is about 62 miles inland from the St. 
Lawrence. The superficial extent of this large tract 
of country is, according to Bouchette, about 18,800 
square miles, and its population about 65,500 souls. 
Like its neighbouring district, it is well watered by 
numerous rivers and small lakes, which also abound 
with a variety of excellent fish. The face of the 
country, though abounding with extensive valleys 
and flats, is generally rather hilly, yet less so than 
the bold mountainous tract on the opposite side of 
the St. Lawrence. 

■ Like the rest of the lower province, this district is 
divided first into counties, which are next sub-divided 
into seigniories or townships. Li order, however, 
that the reader may understand the nature and mean- 
ing of several arbitrary divisions of this country, 
a few general observations will here be necessary. 

Lower Canada, having originally been a French 
colony, its first inhabitants were French, and their 

E 



50 TOPOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 

descendants are its present chief occupants, under the 
general name of Canadians. Speaking a provin- 
cialism of the French language, and professing the 
Roman Catholic religion, the Canadians still manifest 
an attachment to the laws and customs, the institutes 
of which were originally brought from the mother 
country ; and since the province fell by conquest into 
the hands of the English, by the liberal policy of the 
British government their laws have been but little 
disturbed. 

One of the most remarkable of these laws affecting 
property in this province, is the tenure by which the 
lands were originally granted to the first settlers, and 
by which they are still held by the present possessors. 
That tenure is founded on the usages of the feudal 
law, or rather is strictly feudal itself, the lands granted 
being held by the seigneurs, or lords of the soil in 
feu, or en Jiefe, that is, in vassalage to the crown, 
under a condition of homage or service ; and again 
the portions conceded by the seigneurs to their 
tenants or vassals, called tenanciers, or censitaires^ 
are held by the latter under the seigneurs, en roture, 
that is, not as freeholds, but subject also to some par- 
ticular conditions of service to him, as well as to a 
small annual rent in money or in produce, which 
forms the income of this feudal chief, who is con- 
sidered somewhat like the ancient Lord of the Manor 
in England. 

The original grantees or seigneurs of the land 
naturally settled themselves on the frontier spots 



LOWER CANADA. 51 

along the banks of the St. Lawrence, as well as on 
several of the larger interior rivers ; hence all these 
parts are already granted and occupied in seigniories, 
while it is only the interior country which, since the 
accession of the British, and the settlement of the law, 
has been laid out in townships for English colonists. 
As emigrants from the United Kingdom are seldom 
disposed to settle among the Canadian French and 
under their laws, however advantageous this step 
might often be for educated persons possessing 
capital, as hereafter to be noticed, wo shall, in our 
topographical notices of this improving province, 
pass entirely over these frontier settlements, and 
describe as we are enabled only the internal townships 
about which emigrants from England m.ay be sup- 
posed to be interested. 

Some of the counties of this province are entirely 
granted in seigniories and fiefs. Most of them how- 
ever have portions inland, which remaining ungranted 
at the time of the conquest, have since been laid out 
by the Legislative Assembly as townships for settlers 
from the mother country. The counties as they occur 
in each district which have any part surveyed as 
townships*, we notice for the sake of reference in 

* A township inland is usually a square tract of laud, ex- 
tending ten miles every way, and containing about 61,000 acres, 
exclusive of an allov/ance made in the suneys of five acres in 
every hundred for highways. These townships are subdivided 
into eleven ranges of land, each range containing 28 lots, and 
each lot 200 acres. Thus the inland townships contain 308 
lots of laud, of 200 acres each, exclusive of an allowance for 

e2 



52 TOPOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES, 

alphabetical order ; with the townships also in the 
several counties, we in general pursue the same plan. 

highways. Of these lots 220 are granted or sold to settlers, and 
the remaining 88 reserved in every township for the Crown^ 
and the support of the protestant clergy, under the name of 
Oown and Clergy Reserves, a term that will be frequently re- 
peated in the course of our notice of townships. The lands thus 
reserved, remaining in general in a wilderness state, have been 
found, in most cases, a great hindrance to improvement ; but 
in Upper Canada the Crown reserves have been sold by the 
government to the Canada Company. 

Townships, however, having been surveyed and laid out upon 
mathematical principles, and in straight lines, without reference, 
excepting on the banks of large rivers, to natural boundaries, 
these imaginary or mere measurement boundaries of all kinds, 
have been a fruitful source of dispute and litigation, and are a 
frequent subject of complaint with the settlers. ' All classes of 
people in Canada,' says Mactaggart, ' but the Lawyers, lament 
the manner in which the townships have been laid out and 
surveyed. The surveyors are become perfectly ashamed of 
themselves. Let a law be passed as soon as possible,' adds 
this spirited observer, ' that the townships be laid out according 
to their natural boundaries ; let all concession lines be run ac- 
cording to the order of nature ; and give all settlers deeds of 
their lands, that their progeny may know them a thousand 
years hence.* ' The fanciful blazed lines of straightness formed 
by the surveyors,' he adds, ' are only made to bewilder, proving 
often roads of ruin in the wilderness.' — Vide Three Years in 
Canada, vol. ii. p. 96. 

A township fronting a river or lake, is generally surveyed so 
as to be, as near as possible, nine miles broad in front by twelve 
miles deep inland from the lake or river. Thus it will contain 
about 67,200 acres, exclusive of the allowance for highways ; 
which, formed into twelve ranges of 28 lots, will make 336 lots 
of land, each lot, as usual, containing 200 acres. Of these lots 
240 are grantable to settlers, and the remaining 96 are reserved 
or the Crown and Clergy. 



LOWER CANADA. 53 

The situation of these several counties and townships 
the reader will be at little loss to find on the map ; 
and proceeding thus, the first county to be noticed in 
this district is called Beauce. 

The County of Beauce on the Chaudiere, is 68 
miles in length, and its average breadth is 21 miles. 
It contains 1987 square miles, is uneven and moun- 
tainous — well watered, principally by the Chaudiere, 
du Loup, and la Famine rivers. It is also intersected 
by numerous roads, the chief of which is the new 
Kinnebec road, which forms the most direct and 
shortest communication from Quebec to Boston in 
the United States. This County sends two members 
to the Canadian assembly, and, besides seven Seig- 
niories, contains nine townships, of which the fol- 
lowing is the brief description, viz. 

Cranbourne, 45 miles from Quebec, well watered 
by the rivers Des Fleurs and Guillaume, and lakes 
Etchemin and Petit Lac. The land is in general of 
good quality, particularly the part between the main 
branch of the river Etchemin and the lake of that 
name, which consists of an excellent upland soil. 
There are 40,000 acres of land in this township un- 
located, and the price offered lately for clearing land 
is 505. per acre. 

DiTCHFiELD, bordering on the east side of Lake 
Megantic, and lying between the townships of Spald- 
ing to the north-east, and Woburn to the south. Tliis 
township seems only to be projected, and we have as 
yet no authentic account of its soil or capabilities. 



54 TOPOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 

Frampton, situated at the rear of the Seigniory of 
St. Joseph and Ste. Marie, on the Chaudiere, and lying 
between tlie townships of Cranbourne to the south- 
east, and Buckland to the south-west. This township 
is situated at the commencement of the mountainous 
tract, separating the waters of the St. Lawrence from 
those of the St. John, and presents very different ap- 
pearances on its near and farther sides. A part of it to 
the south-east is intersected by a chain of mountain- 
ous uplands in many places impracticable for roads. 
The uplands are well wooded, principally with maple 
and birch, and are susceptible of cultivation to a 
higher degree than the valleys which, thougli in 
general possessing a moderately good soil, are in 
their natural state rather swampy. The upland soil is 
a strong white or yellow clay, producing excellent 
crops of wheat and other grain. The grass, in the 
valleys which are cultivated, is very fine, causing the 
butter made in this township to have a superior re- 
putation at Quebec. The surface of the land is ge- 
nerally much encumbered with loose stones, which 
adds to the cost of cultivation, and in the valleys are 
found considerable quantities of potter's earth. The 
whole is well watered, and on the branches of the 
Etchemin, as also the streams communicating with 
the Chaudiere, are numerous excellent mill seats, and 
two small lakes on one side abound with trout. This 
township is well settled by several exceedingly re- 
spectable proprietors, and there are consequently 
numerous roads through it. There is also one corn- 



LOWER CANADA. 55 

mill, one tavern, one pearl-ashery and two pot-asheries, 
a good portion of breeding live stock, and the popu- 
lation at the last survey amounted to 263 souls. 
This township is spoken of as superior in soil and 
situation to the neighbouring ones of Buckland, Cran- 
bourne, and Standon, yet there is no village as yet, 
though it contains about 60 houses. The quantity of 
unsold or granted land we are not able, with any 
accuracy, to state. 

Jersey, a triangular- shaped tract, but only pro- 
jected as a township, lying between the rivers Chau- 
diere and du Loup and bounded on the south by 
Marlow. Of this township no particular description 
is yet transmitted, and the ungranted lands amount 
to 33,000 acres. 

Marlow, lying to the south of the above and near 
to 

RiSBOROUGH, another projected township, of which 
we have also no particular description, more than of 
its neighbouring township of 

Spalding, lying to the east of the Chaudiere, and 
reaching to the province boundary line westward. 

The next county in this district is Bellechasse, 
running inland from the St. Lawrence to the south- 
east boundary of the province. Its front breadth on 
the St. Lawrence is 19 miles, its average breadth 17, 
and its depth about 35 miles. It sends two members 
to the assembly, and contains a population of nearly 
15,000. Its surface is uneven, and rather moun- 
tainous, particularly as it recedes inwards towards the 



56 TOPOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 

States. The soil nevertheless produces abundance of 
good timber, and is of course susceptible of cultivation, 
being pretty well v^atered. The inhabitants are 
nearly all French Canadians ; and passing over a 
chain of flourishing Seigniories fronting the St. Law- 
rence, we come to the following four townships, viz. 

Armagh, traversed to the south-west by the river 
Du Sud. Soil not very good, but meadow-land 
between the hills. No part settled. 

Buck LAND. The surface of this township is much 
varied : in many places rising into swelling uplands, 
with the intervals rather swampy. Yet the soil is, we 
are told, in general, excellent, and even the wetlands 
are by no means of a bad quality. The rear and 
south-east centre of Buckland, however, is moun- 
tainous and barren, entirely unfit for agricultural 
purposes. Still the other parts are well timbered and 
watered, with many good situations for mills, and 
much meadow-land along the borders of the streams. 
Only one fourth of this township has been surveyed, 
which is now the property of William Holmes, Esq. 
of Quebec. Population about 30 persons, and lands 
ungranted, 20,000 acres. 

Standon, lying to the south-east of the former. 
A rough hilly country and very indifferent land. The 
good parts of the land at the rear of Frampton are 
already granted, but there is a part between the river 
Etchemin and the lake, near the south angle of the 
township, which is said to be excellent upland, and 
well calculated for settling. 



LOWER CANADA. 57 

Of the next county, namely, L'Islet, running 
southward also from the St. Lawrence, being almost 
entirely occupied with French Canadians, and divided 
into Seigniories, we do not think it necessary to 
give any particular description. It contains only 
one township, situated as usual in the rear of the 
Seigniory, which is called 

AsHFORD, and the soil is not spoken of as very 
good, though susceptible of cultivation, and at present 
bearing pine, beech, maple and spruce. It is tra- 
versed by rocky cliffs, and watered by small streams. 

The next county is Kamouraska, fronted, like the 
others, by prosperous Seigniories, along the St. Law- 
rence, &c., and possessing many inland recommen- 
dations. The lands left for free soccage amount 
only to three projected townships, the first of which 
is called 

Bungay, — of which we have no account. 

IxwoRTH, situated at the rear of the Seigniory and 
to the south of the river Quelle. Here there are 
32,000 acres ungranted and unlocated ; but no more 
than 1200 acres of this township have been surveyed, 
the whole of which is said to be most excellent land, 
and has been granted to Matliew O'Meara, and part 
of it is in a forward state of cultivation. On the re- 
mainder of this township is a large quantity of good 
pine timber, much of which is transported by the 
river Quelle to the St. Lawrence, and thence to 
Quebec. 



58 TOPOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 

WooDBRiDGE, Iving between the two former, but 
as yet unsurveyed. 

Another county in this district is Lotbiniere, 
meeting also the St. Lawrence, the land of which is 
described to be in general of excellent quality, 
although it is less abundantly watered than most 
others. As this county is entirely distributed into 
Seigniories, and occupied by French people, we do 
not think it necessary to give any further particulars 
regarding it. 

The county of Megantic, in this district, and 
lying north of the lake of the same name, skirts the 
boundary line of the United States to the south, and 
runs along the Chaudiere to the west. This inland 
county is entirely free of Seigniorial grants, and divided 
into townships. The population that has as yet 
spread over it consists of English, Irish, Scotch, and 
Americans, without any native Canadians ; it there- 
fore may require a more particular description. Its 
extreme length is 65 miles, its breadth 28 ; it is 
divided into sixteen townships, and contains 1465 
square miles. The surface of this county, says the 
official surveyor, is mountainous and broken, pre- 
senting, hov/ever, large swells of excellent land and 
meadows ; and, notwithstanding the irregularity of 
its surface, it possesses considerable advantages in 
its soil and timber. It is well and conveniently 
watered by streams and lakes ; and towards the lake, 
which gives name to the county, the scenery is de- 



LOWER CANADA. 59 

scribed as beautiful. It is traversed in cliief by 
Craig's road, along which are the principal settle- 
ments, as we shall have occasion to notice when 
particularizing the townships, the first of which, in 
alphabetical order, is 

Adstock, adjoining Tring and Thetford, and not 
yet surveyed. Then 

Broughton, which, though rather mountainous, 
contains, we are told, much land of a good quality, 
at present much stocked with beech, maple, birch, 
elm, and other useful timber, besides abundance more 
of an inferior quality. There is good grass land in 
the hollows, and many of the inferior swells, if culti- 
vated, would produce good grain crops. The town- 
ship is moderately watered, and some roads have 
been made at the expense of the government by an 
act of the provisional parliament. A Mr. Hull re- 
ceived a grant of 22,000 acres in this township, who 
has made some progress in forming a settlement, and 
cultivating some part of it, besides erecting some 
mills. The population, however, in 1829, was only 
75, and there was still unlocated 12,400 acres. 

CoLERAiNE, as yet only a projected township, 
lying to the south of Thetford, and to the west of 
Tring, and watered by lake St. Francis, besides some 
smaller lakes and streams, 

Dorset, on the west side of the river Chaudiere, 
and encompassed on the other sides by various lands 
still unsurveyed. The most inferior part of this large 
township is along the rocky bank of the river Chau- 



60 TOPOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 

diere, and the rest is said to consist chiefly of fine 
rises of good land, very fit for tillage, and every 
where favourable for the culture of hemp and flax, 
which are well known to require the best soils, 
though no settlements are as yet made on it. The 
usual valuable timbers at present grow upon this 
township, which is admirably watered throughout by 
lakes and rivers, and on the banks of the streams 
are some fine breadths of the best meadow land. 
The whole belongs to the heirs of Simon M'Tavish, 
Esq., who, no doubt, has an agent for it at Quebec. 

Gayhurst, on the Chaudiere — projected. Watered 
by the Eugenie, &c. 

Halifax. Soil generally very good. Low to the 
north-east, and a few swamps here, but rises and is 
uneven towards the south. The south-east half has 
been granted, but none of it is cultivated. Ungranted, 
7200 acres. Intersected, in part, by Craig's road. 
Population, 15. 

Inverness, — next the former. The land to the 
south is of a superior quality, and the rest above me- 
diocrity, except an extent of swamp of about 8000 
acres to the northward, which is covered with hem- 
lock, spruce fir, and cedar ; excellent timber on the 
dry lands. Watered by lake William, and several 
small rivulets. Ungranted in 1828, 15,500 acres. 
Population, 117. Saw mills, 7. 

Ireland, — betwixt Halifax and the former. Land 
to the north-west is of a good quality ; the south- 
east, a series of rugged hills, with small lakes and 



LOWER CANADA. 61- 

swamps in the intervals. The north-west quarter 
has been surveyed and granted, and is partly inha- 
bited by a few settlers. The whole is well watered, 
and Craig's road passes through it. Above 14,000 
acres yet ungranted. Population, 181. Corn mills, 
1 ; saw ditto, 1 ; taverns, 1. 

Leeds. The land generally very good, except in 
the north-east quarter, where it is poor and stony. 
AVell wooded, and watered by several branches of the 
Becancour, and intersected by Craig's road. Con- 
siderably settled and cultivated of late. Population 
173. Saw-mills, 2. Ungranted lands, 5,225 acres. 

Nelson, lying between the former and the aug- 
mentation to Lotbeniere. The land is low, but 
tolerably good, and well watered. Towards the 
south-east end are some rising grounds, much su- 
perior to the opposite side. The limber is maple, 
beech, birch, and pine, besides basswood, cedar,, 
spruce, hemlock, &c., on the low and moist ground* 
No part of this township was lately under culti- 
vation. 

OuLNEY, — projected only, as yet. 

Shenley. This, like some of the above, is rathes 
an irregular tract than a township, between Dorset 
and Tring. The surface is irregular in some places, 
though in some parts the soil is moderately good. 
Wooded, but not well watered. No part of the tract 
under cultivation. 

Somerset, to the north-west of Halifax and In- 



62 TOPOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 

verness ; lying low, but in general of a tolerably 
good quality. Well timbered and watered. 

Thetford, between Brougliton and Ireland. — 
Though generally mountainous, this township has a 
few intervals of good land ; but that to the south- 
east is very indifferent, lying upon a bed of stone. 
Well watered, and but little wood. 

Tring, between Broughton and Shenley. A good 
deal of land fit for tillage in this tract, and some ex- 
cellent timber. Very well watered. Population, 10 
persons. 

Win SLOW, between Gayhurst and Stratford; not 
surveyed. 

In the county of Quebec, which is mostly granted 
in seigniories and fiefs, the only townships are 
Stoneham and Tewkesbury, lying contiguous to 
each other in the interior, and subdivided many years 
ago, yet still but indifferently settled. Great part of 
the surface of both is mountainous, rocky, and unfit 
for cultivation ; yet there are some scanty patches of 
tolerable land in the vallies, and the part extending 
towards the river Jacques Cardiere is chiefly arable. 
Population, 70 persons. 



DISTRICT OF THREE RIVERS. 

The district of Three Rivers, lying next higher 
up the St. Lawrence, and including in its original 



LOWER CANADA. 6S. 

enumeration the greater part of the townships in the 
inferior but fertile district of St. Francis, towards the 
south, is stil] more important to the enquirer as a 
field of extensive future settlement. It extends, like 
the former, to both sides of the St. Lawrence, along 
which, and its principal rivers, it is settled in seignio- 
ries ; but in its interior portion, towards the south, it 
is surveyed into townships, well intersected by roads 
and rivers ; and from the quality of the land, the 
mildness of the climate, and the local advantages, is 
of great interest to land purchasers and settlers. The 
surface of the country, south of the St. Lawrence, is 
level near that river, until it approaches the townships 
in the neighbourhood of Ascot, where it rises into 
broad swells, and in some parts becomes mountainous. 
Near the St. Lawrence and the frontier rivers the soil 
is light and sandy, but receding inwards it becomes 
infinitely better. There are also several villages in 
the townships, and the streams and lakes will be 
noticed in speaking of the counties and townships. 

On the St. Lawrence, south and west of the river 
Becancour, including also the main branches of the 
St. Nicolet and the St. Francis, is the county of 
Dmmmond in this district, which is entirelv laid out in 
townships to the number of 19. The extreme length 
of this county is 66 miles, its breadth 47, and it con- 
tains 1,674 square m.iles ; sends one member to the 
provisional parliament. The first township in alpha- 
betical order is the inland one of 

Acton, between Roxton on the Yamuska and 



64 TOPOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 

Grantham. The land is level, and lying rather loWy 
with wooded swamps. About one half has been 
granted, but no part settled. 

Arthabaska, on the Nicolet, south of Bulstrode, 
not settled. Many parts of the land good where it 
is high, but the lower lands swampy. 

Aston, and its augmentation on the Becancour, 
and to the rear of the seigniory of that name. On the 
abovenamed river, and the river Blanche, the banks 
are picturesque, the lands are rather high, but inward 
they descend into a low flat. The soil is in general 
good, and promises to be very productive by cultiva- 
tion. Oak, elm, pine, beech, birch, maple, &c., grow 
near the rivers, with which it is well watered. A few set- 
tlers in the front ranges. A road leads into the southern 
townships. Above 26,000 acres as yet ungranted. 

Bulstrode, inland, and south-east of the Becan- 
cour. In general level and low, with numerous 
swamps and brules, particularly towards the centre, 
but some few places higher land. The swamps and 
low lands are in some places of a sandy soil, and in 
others a black mould. There is only one settlement 
which is on the Becancour, and contains 40 souls. 

Chester, to the rear of Arthabaska. The soil 
very fit for the purposes of agriculture, and the ad- 
vantages, in point of locality, considerable. Well 
wooded and tolerably well vvatered. Craig's road 
traverses it diagonally. Ungranted, 4,975 acres.. 
Population, 10 persons. 

Durham, on the inland part of the St. Francis, and 



LOWER CANADA. 65 

between Acton and Ely. The land is in general 
good, presenting several extensive and improvable 
tracts. Wooded like the others, and watered by nu- 
merous small rivulets. This township contains two 
bridges, one over the Black River, and the other over 
a ravine formed by the St. Francis. The Drummond- 
ville road runs also through it, on which there are 
several settlements. There are two saw-mills, and 
many excellent mill seats on the Black river. Po- 
pulation, 367. 

Grantham, on the west side of the St. Francis, on 
which river tlie ground is high, but broken into ravines. 
Quantities of iron ore is found in the neighbourhood 
of the stream. Large extents of the land in this po- 
pulously settled township produce fine luxuriant na- 
tural grass, which, drying upon the ground when 
ripe, is little inferior to good hay. Several respecta- 
ble proprietors living in Montreal and Drummondville 
hold lands here, and to about 30 Canadian families 
portions of it liave been sold, on credit, by a Mr. 
Richardson, at 5.9. per acre. There is both a post 
road, between Quebec and Boston, running through 
this township, and another road from Drummond- 
ville ferry to Wickham higher up the St. Francis, 
which also passes through it. There are also two 
bridges, a village, (Drummondville,) two Roman Ca- 
tholic churches, two schools, two corn-mills, three 
saw-mills, four tanneries, four pot and four pearl 
asheries, two taverns, a carding and a fulling mill, 
and the population is about 400. Though there is 

F 



66 TOPOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 

much good land in this township, that through which 
the chief road passes is flat, sandy, and but little 
suited for cultivation. 

Ham, between Weedon and Tingwick, possesses 
land that might be brought into cultivation with 
much advantage. The surface is diversified by swells 
rather than hills, which are covered with wood, and 
in several places the low grounds are swampy. 

HoRTON, to the west of Bulstrode, is a small irre- 
gular tract, with the Nicolet running through it, and 
contains only one settler. 

KiNGSEY, on the east bank of the St. Francis, and 
between Shipton and Warwick. The front on the 
river, where also a road runs, and the side next to 
Shipton, are of the best quality of land, and are 
already settled to a population of above 300 persons. 
The parts adjoining Warwick and Simpson are low 
and swampy, covered with cedar and other woods- 
Several branches of the Nicolet also water this town- 
ship advantageously, and from the fertility of the soil 
and other circumstances, it is likely to thrive and be- 
come populous. The family of Donald Maclean hold 
a part of this township. Ungranted, 12,100 acres. 

Simpson, north of the former, is low and level, with 
very few swamps, and is of a good quality for the 
cultivation of grain of all sorts. Lying also on the 
St. Francis, a few settlers, amounting to a population 
of 35, have planted themselves on this side next the 
road ; and several branches of the Nicolet, by which 
it is also watered, present some good mill seats. 



LOWER CANADA. 67 

Stanfold, on the Becancour, between Somerset 
and Bulstrode, is low and extremely swampy, with but 
little land fit for cultivation. 

Ting WICK, between Chester and Kingsey, not 
surveyed. 

Upton is of an irregular figure, on the St. Francis, 
to the north-west of Acton and Grantham. The land 
is in general fiat and low, with extensive swamps 
covered with tamarack, alder, and cedar. There is a 
road through it, which is settled however to the 
amount of 277 persons ; and here, and by the side of 
the St. Francis and other streams, there are a few 
spots of tolerable land. 

Warwick, on the Nicolet, north of Tingwick, a 
poor, and excepting the first three ranges, a perfectly 
sterile tract, thickly covered with spruce and hem 
lock. 

Wendover, near Simpson. The land near the St. 
Francis is best and will admit of cultivation, but a 
short distance thence it sinks into low deep swamps, 
where the soil is chiefly sand and gravel. 

AVicKHAM, on the St. Francis, between Grantham 
and Durham. The land is generally level, but the 
interior and rear are swampy and but little capable 
of cultivation. Near the river, and also towards the 
two beforementioned townships, the land is more 
elevated and considerably better in quality, and might 
soon be made to produce most sorts of grain. The 
liigh road between Quebec and Boston leads through 
this township, and the mail passes once a week. 

F 2 



68 TOPOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 

Hence there are settlers to the amount of 256 of a 
population, with one corn and one saw mill. 

WoLFSTOWN, on the upper branches of the Nicolet, 
and between Ham and Ireland. The north-west half 
of this township is moderately good, but the south- 
east is a mere chain of rocky heights of no use. 

WoTTON, to the west of the above, — unsurveyed. 

The county of Nicolet, on the St. Lawrence, con- 
sists chiefly of seigniories and fiefs on that river and 
the Nicolet. It contains only two townships in the 
rear of these, viz. 

Blandford, to the west of the Becancour. Tlie 
land is generally level, with many good savannas, 
and the soil for the most part good. This township 
is well watered by several small streams and lakes 
besides the above, but having been but lately granted 
in free soccage, there is no road through it, but a 
winter one 15 miles in length. About 600 acres, 
however, have been cleared along the Becancour, 
and a saw-mill erected. 

Maddington, lower down the same river, which 
separates it from the townships of Bulstrode and 
Aston. The land is low in the interior and towards 
the south, but more elevated towards the west and 
south-west. There are many savannas, and the soil 
in general is tolerably good. In some places it is of 
a superior quality, in others rocky and bad. In the 
urveyed parts contiguous to the river, the land is as 
good as that of Aston. Only one settlement, how- 
ever, of 12 persons, is made near the Becancour. A 



LOWER CANADA. 69 

winter road runs tlirougli it, and there are several 
good situations for mills. 

The next county in this district is that of St. Mau- 
rice, lying on the north of the St. Lawrence, and 
along the river of the same name, including the town 
of Three Rivers, and the well known falls of the St. 
Maurice. This county is chiefly remarkable for its 
iron mines and its numerous and extensive forges and 
founderies ; in which are manufactured the stoves, 
potash-kettles, and every kind of large cast-iron 
work used in the provinces. These employ nearly 
300 persons, the overseers and model-makers are 
English and Scotch, and the workmen chiefly Cana- 
dians. There is much good land along the lofty 
banks of the St. Maurice, but it having been originally 
granted to the lessee of the forges is not yet con- 
ceded to settlers. The rest is chiefly held in seignio- 
ries and fiefs, as usual in Lower Canada, and there 
are only three townships laid out in the interior, viz. 

Caxton, lying between the lands belonging to the 
forges of the St. Maurice to the south-east, and the 
other township of Hunterstown ; the seigniory of St. 
Etienne, &c., being in front towards the St. Lawrence. 
This township having attracted the attention of the 
provincial government, two good roads have been 
opened through it and many bridges built, whereby a 
direct communication is opened to the St. Lawrence 
by water, namely the river du Loup ; the value of the 
land is greatly enhanced, although as yet there are 
very few settlers. In general the land is low, with a 



70 TOPOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 

few thickly wooded hills, and in most places through 
which the roads have been cut, it is described to be of 
the best quality, with maple, birch, beech, and ash — 
some savannas, and cedar spruce, &c., on the lower 
parts. 

HuNTERSTOWN, joining the former, is described 
by the surveyor as a tract of very little value, being a 
continued stratum of rock lying very near the sur- 
face ; and towards the rear it rises into broken 
and almost mountainous ridges, but generally well 
wooded. 

New Glasgow, not surveyed. 

The important county of Sherbrooke, divided 
entirely into townships, and occupying great part of 
the interior district of St. Francis, remains next to be 
noticed. It has the county of Megantic in Quebec 
district to the east, Drummond in its own district to 
the north, and the province line dividing it from the 
United States to the south. Its extreme length is 68 
miles, its breadth 57, and it contains 2786 square 
miles. It contains three villages, the chief of which, 
Sherbrooke, may be called the county town, and is 
the seat of the district court of St. Francis. This 
county sends two members to the provincial parlia- 
ment, is well watered by the St. Francis and numerous 
other streams and lakes, and already contains a po- 
pulation of between 5 and 6000 souls. The face of 
the country in the vicinity of Eaton and eastward, is 
generally level to tlie ridge of highlands towards the 
head of Connecticut ; to the west, in the vicinity of 



LOWER CANADA. 71 

Orford, the land is uneven and broken, and presents 
high ridges. The soil and timber are described as 
generally of good quality, and the country in every 
respect possesses considerable advantages from its 
locality, and the numerous roads which run through 
it, which are skirted, for the most part, by flourish- 
ing new settlements. The chief route from the St. 
Lawrence to the United States passes through the 
village of Sherbrooke. 

From the importance of this large tract, it is likely 
hereafter to be subdivided into several counties. At 
present it is laid out into twenty-nine townships, which 
in alphabetical order are as follows : — 

Ascot, advantageously situated on the upper parts 
of the St. Francis and between Compton and Eaton. 
In every point of view, says the surveyor-general, this 
is a desirable tract. The land is of exceedingly good 
quality, and so well varied as to answer all the pur- 
poses of the farmer. It is both well watered and 
contains considerable facility of inland carriage by 
water, as well as presenting numerous sites for mills, 
some of which have already been taken advantage of. 
Settlements on a very large scale have been made 
here, and several farms by the sides of rivers have 
attained a degree of flourishing superiority, which 
shows their improvement to have been very rapid, as 
no part of the land v/as granted prior to the year 
1803. The majority of the settlers here, as well as 
in most part of the neighbouring townships, are 
native Americans, who have taken the oath of alle- 



72 TOPOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 

giance to the British Government, and wlio, adapting 
their operations to the nature and quality of the ma- 
terials they have to work upon, make much better 
farmers than the Canadians. 

This township contains two villages. Sherbrooke, 
occupying an elevated situation on both banks of the 
Magog, at the forks of the St. Francis, contains 75 
houses, a population of 350, two churches, and is con- 
sidered the emporium of the township trade, on its 
transit to the St. Lawrence, which consists chiefly of 
pot and pearl ashes, horses, horned cattle, and some 
sheep. Lennoxville is the other village, situated 
about three miles south of the former, and contains 
one church, 20 houses, and a population of 120. A 
rich mine of iron ore much impregnated with sulphur 
lias been discovered on a farm near Sherbrooke, and 
a mineral spring near the centre of the township. The 
cultivation of hemp has been found productive, and 
the distillation of whiskey from potatoes is a source 
of much profit. Whole population of the township 
about 1000 — 2 corn-mills, 3 saw-mills, 2 each pot 
and pearl asheries, 5 stores, and 3 taverns. 

Auckland, lying at the southern extremity of the 
county, between Emberton and Clifton, near the 
boundary line, is uneven and rugged, in some places 
mountainous, and in others sinks into swamps. 
The level and dry tracts have a soil moderately good, 
and some portions are rich enough for the cultivation 
of hemp. Well watered, and a sort of footpath runs 
through it, by which the Indians make their way to 



LOWER CANADA. 73- 

the Cliaudiere. The north half has been granted, 
but no part of the whole is as yet settled. 

Brompton, west of the St. Francis, between Orford 
and Ely, is to the south, uneven, rocky and untract- 
able, but in the north part and by the river, the land 
is of a fair quality, and fit for good crops of grain. 
It is watered by a lake and several streams besides 
the St. Francis, and on the latter river several settle- 
ments have been formed which are doing well. Po- 
pulation, 255. 

Bury, lying between Dudswell and Hampden. 
Of this township only one quarter has been surveyed, 
but the land is reported to be of a moderately good 
soil and very susceptible of cultivation. The timber 
is butternut, maple, basswood, beech, ash, &c., and it 
is watered by small streams. An intended road into 
Vermont, and joining Craig's road, has already been 
marked and blazed. 

Chesham, projected only. 

Clifton, between Auckland and Eaton. The 
surface is mountainous and broken, yet is the soil 
generally good, as indicated by the best sort of trees. 
Watered by two or three rivers and many streams 
falKng into the St. Francis. Some roads, but not ra- 
pidly improving, and one bridge. A population of 88 ; 
and the settlements are chiefly on the road to Eaton, 
and on the Salmon river. There are some swamps 
in different directions which might be drained with 
facility, and there is much unexceptionable soil. 
There are 2 pot-asheries, a pearl-ashery, a corn-mill> 
a saw-mill, and a school. 



74 TOPOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 

Clinton, a very small township, is most agree- 
ably situated at the south extremity of the lake 
Megantic, The soil, in general, is of the very first 
quality, exhibiting many large patches of luxuriant 
pastures. Although this small tract abounds with 
good situations, where the land is fit for any species 
of agriculture, and is well watered by the Arnold, and 
other streams falling into the lake, no part has yet 
been settled. 

CoMPTON, joins Ascot and Clifton, and the 
land is in no respect inferior to that of the former 
township. In various parts, it has many wide spread- 
ing but gentle rises of most excellent land, thickly 
covered with the best woods ; is completely watered, 
and through the most cultivated parts roads have 
been opened, and bridges thrown over the river, which 
are kept in good repair; so that an eligible com- 
munication is formed with the main road to Quebec, 
and the state of Vermont. Numerous flourishing 
settlements skirt the banks of the rivers, which, with 
the thriving industry of a population already exceed- 
ing 1200, are fast introducing commerce, and confer 
a comparative importance upon this increasing town- 
ship. There are not less than 7 saw mills, 2 corn 
do., 1 carding do., 1 fulling do., a pot-ashery, a 
pearl do., 2 store?, 2 taverns, and a school, 

Croydon, on the province line — not surveyed. 

DiTTON, between Marsden, Hampden, and Em- 
berton, is irregular in its surface, some places 
rising into large eminences ; but, in general, the soil 



LOWER CANADA. 75 

is moderately good, and timbered well. It is inter- 
sected by several streams that fall into the St. Francis, 
and the south-west quarter has been surveyed and 
granted, but no part settled. Ungranted, 33,000 
acres. 

Drayton, lying in the rear of Auckland and 
Emberton, is bounded, on the south, by the main 
branch of the river Connecticut. This township 
has neither been surveyed nor granted, but the 
quality of the land may be inferred from the fact, of 
above 20 families from the United States, having 
already taken up a settlement on it. The lands 
occupied by these persons form one of the points of 
dispute between his Majesty's government and that 
of the States. It is watered by several streams, as 
also Back lake : there are some roads, and two 
bridges, and the principal settler, a Dr. Taylor, has 
100 acres cleared, a good house, and a distillery. 
Population, 60. 

DuDSWELL, between Weedon and Bury, in many 
places uneven in surface, and in one place rises to 
a considerable mountain, that stretches westward 
into Wotton, the top of which, being flat table-land, 
wholly free from trees or underwood, causes it to be 
called the Bald Mountain. A great variety of good 
timber in this township, and where the land is level, 
it is applicable to the culture of grain. The St. 
Francis, with other streams, provide a complete 
irrigation, but only one quarter of this tract has been 
laid out, and some farms have obtained considerable 



76 TOPOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 

prosperity. A line of road, pursuant to an act of tlie 
Assembly, is now in progress through this township, 
which will much benefit it. 

Eaton, between Newport and Ascot, east and 
west, is of a uniform and favourable quality generally, 
although the north-west part is rather low and 
swampy, and the other parts may be called hilly, being 
a series of bold swells, whose bases may be traced by 
the sources of numerous small brooks with which this 
tract is sufficiently watered : much of the soil is stony, 
and occasionally sandy. ' Towards the north-west,' 
says the surveyor, ' at an angle with the horizon of 
between 60 and 70 degrees, masses of granite are 
occasionally met with on the surface, as well as large 
masses of alluvial rocks, some having the appearance 
of vitrifaction. Slate of good quality is also abun- 
dant, and some blacklead ore has been found. A 
great part of the west half has been settled : there are 
some middling roads ; about 9000 acres are already 
cleared, and the population is above 800. The town- 
ship is already divided into 2 parishes, in each of 
which there is a Protestant church. There are not 
less than 6 saw-mills, 3 corn do., a carding and a 
fulling do., 2 taverns, a tannery, a pot-ashery, a pearl 
do., and a distillery. Ungranted, about 3100 acres. 

Emberton, between Ditton, Auckland, and Dray- 
ton, and watered by the Margalloway, as yet only 
projected. 

Garthby, north-east of Weedon, and nearly 
divided by the lake St. Francis, only projected. 



LOWER CANADA. 77 

Hampden, an irregular tract between Marston, 
Ditton, Ling wick, and Grey hurst, — projected as a 
township. 

Hereford, between Drayton and Auckland, 
east and west, and on the boundary line south of 
Clifton. The surface is uneven, and, approaching 
the Connecticut river, rather mountainous, yet the 
greater part of the land is tolerably good, and, in 
general, applicable to agricultural purposes. It is 
well watered by the subsidiary streams of the Con- 
necticut, on which, to the south of the township, 
about 26 families are settled. It is well adapted for 
grazing, and some settlers on it keep 30 head of 
neat cattle, besides horses and sheep. The Here- 
ford mountain is in the north-west part; there are 
2 King's highways through the township, 4 bridges, 
the timber is various, and in general good ; there are 
2 schools, to a population of 160, 2 saw-mills, a 
corn do., and a pearl- asher)'. Flax and hemp grow 
luxuriantly, and there are above 16,000 acres of 
land ungranted, and unlocated. 

LiNGwicK, to the north-east of the unsurveyed 
townships of Stratford and Hampden, and south-west 
of Bury and Weedon, is similar, in the quality of 
the land, to the level district of Duds well. It is 
watered by several streams that run into the St. 
Francis ; the west half has been surveyed and granted, 
but none of it as yet settled. 

Marston, on the west side of the lake Megantic, 
and between Clinton and Hampden, is watered by 



78 TOPOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 

several streams and small lakes, besides the principal 
one in its front, near which are some good meadows. 
The land, though irregular in surface, hilly, and in 
many places very stony, is mostly of a moderately 
good soil. One quarter of this township has been 
granted, but no part as yet settled. The scenery 
near the lake, from which the land rises gradually, 
clothed with rich verdure, and groups of stately 
trees, is described as enchantingly romantic. The 
water abounds with fish, and the country is the resort 
of almost every species of game. Ungranted, about 
44,000 acres. 

Melbourne, on the St. Francis, and between 
Durham and Brompton, is well timbered and watered 
•and already contains several large settlements; 
there are some good roads in progress, and 7 bridges 
have been laid over the several streams. The land 
is described as of quite a superior quality ; a large 
extent of it is the property of the Honourable John 
Caldwell, which, though very valuable, is yet in a 
state of wilderness. Roads are projected through the 
part along the St. Francis ; there are already several 
saw-mills at work in other parts, with pot and pearl 
asheries, and the population at survey was 526. 

Newport, between Eaton, Ditton, and Bury. The 
land is in many parts uneven in surface, but the 
general tendency of the soil is good, and even the 
swampy land is described as fit for culture. The 
North river runs nearly through the middle of this 
township, from the banks of which the land rises in 



LOWER C AX AD A. 79 

a series of gentle swells to the north and south. 
Besides that river, there are numerous small streams 
running into it, and also into the Newport, which 
traverses the south-west angle. This and its oppo-' 
site angle are hilly ; none of the rivers are navigable, 
and the roads that are as yet made through it ; are in 
a bad state. The timber on this township is of a 
good sort ; about 1000 acres of the land are already 
cleared ; the population is about 100, with acorn and 
a saw mill, a pot and a pearl ashery, and 15,000 
acres still un granted. Slate has been obtained in 
this township in great abundance, and blacklead ore 
has also been found. 

Orford, on the Magog, between Ascot, Hatley, 
and Brompton, and near the village of Sherbrooke, 
is rough and mountainous in surface, and, though 
containing some good timber, is almost entirely unfit 
for tillage. It is well watered, but has no regular 
roads, although one is projected, which must be a 
thoroughfare. There is a high chain of mountains 
runs through this township. Still, from its situation, 
it has a population of 242, who raise some grain, 
and feed a large quantity of cattle. 

Shipton, between Melbourne, Windsor, and King- 
say. The land of this township is of a pretty uni- 
form and superior quality, being decidedly the best of 
all within the district. It is exceedingly well watered 
by a large branch of the Nicolet, as also by several 
rivulets flowing from the uplands into the St. Francis. 
Here the Nicolet is navisfable for boats and scows 



80 TOPOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 

hence to the St. Lawrence, and, with the St. Francis, 
now forms an excellent water-conveyance. The roads 
in this important township are not yet complete ; 
yet there are 2 villages, Richmond, and Interior, 

1 Protestant church, 4 corn-mills, 2 carding, a fulling, 

2 cloth, and 7 saw-mills, besides 3 tanneries, a hat 
manufactory, and more other indications of increasing 
industry and importance, than there is here space to 
enumerate. The population, last survey, was 917, 
while there were 1800 acres un granted. 

Stoke, on the east bank of the St. Francis, be- 
tween Windsor and Dudswell, is well watered by the 
streams meeting that river; the wood good; and 
though a few swamps, or wet lands occur, in some 
places the soil is of first-rate quality. There are 
several large extents of most luxuriant meadows on 
this as yet neglected township, on which there are 
no roads, and 7000 acres remain still ungranted. 

Stratford, between Winslaw, Garthby, and Ling- 
wick, projected. 

Wee DON between Ham and Lingwick, only pro- 
jected. 

Westbury, a small, triangular-shaped township, 
containing httle more than 12,000 acres, lies be- 
tween Stoke, Eaton, Dudswell, and Bury. The 
east side is rough, swampy, and inferior land, but to 
the west it is much better, and capable of tolerable 
production. Well watered, the population 56, with 
a corn and a saw mill. 

Whitton, between Adstock, Stratford, and Gay- 
hurst, projected only. 



LOWER CANADA. 81 

Windsor, on the St. Francis, wiih Wotton in its 
rear, is a fine tract of land, the soil excellent and 
varied, so as to be fit for the cultivation of almost any- 
kind of produce. The best sorts of timber grow 
upon an undulating surface of land, which is inter- 
spersed by a few swamps, and the whole is sufficiently 
watered. But little of this excellent land, however, has 
yet been settled, no mention is made of anyroad; the 
population is stated at 151, and there is 1 corn-mill. 



DISTRICT OF MONTREAL. 

The next great division of Lower Canada, lying 
higher up the St. Lawrence, is the large district of 
Montreal, embracing the Island, Seigniory, and 
County of that name, and extending to a considerable 
distance on both sides of that river ; also border- 
ing the upper province on the Ottawa, in the angle 
between it and the former, as well as to an immense 
extent on its northern side. This district in its 
general character is low and level, especially the 
settled parts. There are, however, a few isolated 
mountains in the southern section of it ; and towards 
the province line which forms its southern boundary, 
it assumes a bolder outline, and is in some parts even 
mountainous, particularly in Hemmingford, Bolton, 
and the vicinity. On the northern side of the St. 
Lawrence, there, is a ridge of mountains crossing the 
Ottawa at the Grand Calumet, and north of this 



82 TOPOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 

ridge tlie country is more or less hilly and uneven, 
until it meets the Hudson's Bay territory. An 
excellent soil, in general ; a salubrious and temperate 
climate ; most favourable locality for the purposes of 
commerce, and numerous public roads traversing it 
in every direction, make this extensive tract of 
country most interesting as well to the settler as to 
the land speculator and commercial man. 

Like the other districts of Lower Canada which 
were at first settled by the French, its frontier parts 
next the chief rivers have been granted in seigniories, 
excepting along the Ottawa, on which a great num- 
ber of townships has been laid out for English 
settlers, which, as well as those in the rear of the 
seigniories, it shall be our business to describe as far 
as they have been surveyed. It need scarcely be 
added, that these townships are daily becoming 
more important from their local situation, as the 
country around becomes settled. The district is 
divided into 9 counties, which contain 70 seignio- 
ries, 6 fiefs, and 59 townships. The counties stand 
in alphabetical order thus :— 

Acadie. La Prairie. 

Beauharnois. L'Assomption. 

Berthier. Missisqui. 

Chamblay. Montreal. 

Lachenaye. Ottawa. 

Acadie county, in the ancient county of Hunt- 
ingdon, lying between the river Richelieu and the 
St. Lawrence, and bounded on the south by the 



LOWER CANADA. 83 

province line, contains only one township, with two 
seigniories, and two islands in the river on which it 
is. It is only 22 miles long, and 20 broad ; and 
the population, which is nearly 10,000, is about 
one-half Canadian, and the 'other half consists of 
Americans, English, Irish, and Scotch. But our 
chief business is with the township of 

Sherrington, which is an irregular-shaped tract 
between Hemmingford and Chateauguay, on the 
river La Tortue, with which, and several smaller 
streams, it is conveniently watered ; the soil and 
timber much diversified, but almost the whole un- 
exceptionable as to quality, with the latter of 
which it is in general well covered. To the north- 
east there are many swamps, some of which are 
thickly grown with black ash, others with cedar. 
To the south-west, the land rises in many places 
into eminences, and the soil is various. The chief 
river is not navigable for boats, but rafts are brought 
down to the La Tortue mills. There are two roads, 
and about the 8th and 9th ranges is a small and 
thriving settlement of English families, besides a 
number of Canadians who are settled on it. A 
principal land- owner in this township, Mr. Langue- 
doc, has commenced the cultivation of hemp, and 
erected a hemp-mill. Population, 3125. 

Beauharnois county, west of the former, and on 
the St. Lawrence at the boundary-line, with the 
river Chateauguay running through it, is a triangular 
section, whose extensive frontage to the St. Law- 

G 2 



84 TOPOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 

rence, as well as its agreeable climate and large 
population, give it great advantages. Besides its 
seigniory of the same name, extending 6 miles on 
St. Lawrence, and a tract of Indian lands, and an 
Indian village to the west, it contains several 
parishes and improving villages, the principal of 
which are Beauharnois, St. Regis, and Dundee, 
and others in townships immediately to be noticed. 
It sends two members to the Provincial Assembly, 
which are elected at a village called St. Clement ; its 
length is 55 miles, and its breadth 22 ; the population 
is above 14,000, one-third of which is composed of 
native Canadians, and the remainder is Scotch, Irish, 
Americans, and Indians. Its first township is 

GoDMANCHESTER, on the lake St. Francis, or part 
of the St. Lawrence, and the boundary-line : it is 
bounded in the rear by the river Chateauguay, which 
separates it from^ the neighbouring township of Hin- 
chinbrook. This is in point of soil, timber, climate, 
situation and local advantages, a most valuable tract ; 
and is 14 J miles in front, by an average depth of 
7 miles. 

The lands on the borders of the lake, and the river, 
in the rear of this township, are low, and in many 
parts contain excellent meadows, but ascend as 
usual towards the interior into large swells of hard 
timbered land. Many Scotch settlers are mixed 
among the Canadians in front along the lake, while 
the Irish emigrants are settled towards the centre. 
The village of Godmanchester, on one of the forks of 



LOWER CANADA. 85 

the river a la Guerre, and built on government 
land, contains a population of 82. Though this 
promises to be an huportant township, and is rapidly 
increasing, but little attention has as yet been paid 
to the roads. Population in 1828, 1413 — lands 
improved, about 2500 acres — 5 saw-mills, a corn- 
mill, with pot-asheries, &c. &c. 

Hemmingford, on the boundary-line beside the 
former, has been laid out for close settlements, a 
number of which have been located, and some of the 
farms are in a thriving state. The surface of 
this township is very uneven, having several high 
ridges, and on the north-east and north-west sides 
are several large cedar swamps, yet there are many 
tracts of superior land. The high lands are well 
timbered, and the whole is watered by the Montreal 
and small streams. The roads are more numerous 
than good, — the population consists of 150 families, 
of whom 70 are from Ireland, 19 from England, 
11 from Scotland, 24 from the United States, and 
3 from Germany. This townsliip is distinguished 
by a mountain, called Hemmenyard mountain or 
Covey's hill, which rises 1100 feet above the level of 
the St. Lawrence. Population, 980 ; — 5 saw-mills, 
with corn-mills, &c. &c. 

HiNCHiNBRooK, also on the boundary-line, and 
beside the former. The surface is somewhat uneven, 
but the soil though rather light, and often stony, is 
generally good, with the exception of a few swampy 
tracts. Here there is a village bearing the name of 



86 TOPOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 

the township, as also another called Huntingdon, 
lying partly in this, and partly in the neighbouring 
township of Godmanchester, which last is chiefly 
occupied by Irish families to the number of 125 
persons. Of the whole population, besides 78 Irish 
families, 79 are from Scotland, 15 from England, 
and the rest from the United States and Germany ; 
the whole amounting to 1214 persons. The roads 
are but indifferent, though often covered with 
waggons; the settlers are chiefly along the river 
Chateauguay, where there are gentle slopes, and fine 
meadows. Vast quantities of fine timber have of 
late been cut from this township, and rafted down the 
Chateauguay ; there are 7 saw-mills, 2 corn-mills, &c. 

Berthier county lies north of the St. Lawrence, 
which fronts it, in the old county of Warwick, and it 
contains several islands in its chief river. It con- 
sists of 8 seigniories, 5 fiefs, and only 2 townships in 
the interior, bordering the waste lands of the crown, 
one of which is 

Brandon, on which there are hardly any settlers, 
though the lands up to the 9th range, to the amount 
of 40,000 acres, are described as of excellent quaUty ; 
the rest towards the north-west, are uneven and moun- 
tainous. A good road is much wanted here, and is 
partly made. The timber is generally good, and in 
many places the pine is fit for masting. Population 
on the lake Maskinonge, 20 persons. 

KiLDARE, to the westward of the former, and 
also bounded on the north by the waste lands, is 



L0W::R CANADA. 87 

well watered by L'Assomption, and other rivers, is 
eligibly situated, and contains, at least as far as 
the 9th range, a quantity of excellent land. Beyond 
this the surface is mountainous. Some good roads 
pass through this township, with bridges and other 
improvements; and some Canadian settlers, on the 
5th and 6th ranges, are described as flourishing and 
happy. The lands here are conceded on terms 
similar to those of the seigniories. Ungranted, 874 
acres. There is in this township a remarkable cavern 
which has been discovered by the Canadians. 

The county of Chamblay on the south side of the 
St. Lawrence, and bounded on the south-east by the 
river Richlieu, formerly called Chamblay, is entirely 
laid out in seigniories and fiefs. 

The county Lachenaye, on the north side of St. 
Lawrence, which bounds it in front, contains two 
townships in the rear of as many seigniories, viz. — 

Kilkenny, a small township, in which a few 
Irish emigrants have promiscuously set themselves 
down ; is well watered, and though in most parts un- 
even and mountainous, contains much good land, 
particularly along the North river, which flows through 
it. No roads as yet. 

Wexford, beside the former, not yet surveyed. 

The small county of La Prairie, between the St. 
Lawrence and the river Richlieu on the south-east 
side of the former, is entirely laid out into seigni- 
ories, &c. 

The county of L'Assomption, on the north side of 



88 TOPOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 

the St. Lawrence, contains, behind the seigniory of 
St. Sulpice, 2 townships, viz. — 

Chertsey, not yet surveyed, but beyond a chain 
of mountains running through it are 3 leagues of 
rich meadow land, and the rest covered with good 
hard timber. On the mountains are several small 
lakes abounding with fish. 

Rawdon, between Kildare and Kilkenny. Though 
the face of the country is uneven and in some parts 
mountainous, the soil is described as generally fit for 
the cultivation of grain. It is more than usually well 
watered, there are several good roads through it, and 
numerous bridges laid across the streams by the 
settlers, who are chiefly emigrants from Ireland. 
There is a strong chalybeate spring on the fourth 
range near the river Blanche ; and another medicinal 
spring on the next river. Population, 850. Pot- 
asheries, 8, saw-mills, 4, and corn-mills, 3. Un- 
granted, &c., 10,400 acres. 

The county of Missisqui, in the old county of 
Bedford, on the south province line, is a small county 
on the north end of the lake Champlain, 30 miles in 
its longest part and 14 in breadth. Besides the seigni- 
ory of St. Armand, it contains 3 townships, viz. — 

Durham, exactly in the rear of the seigniory so 
named, is from its situation and the quality of the 
land a valuable tract. The upper lands are rather hilly 
and well timbered, but on the more level parts the soil 

is in general a rich black mould But little swampy 

land, well watered, several good roads, and nearly 



LOWER CANADA. 89 

"wholly settled. A village, called Frost village, having 
a church and methodist chapel, with 25 houses, is in 
this township. The population, 2,121, 2 saw-mills, 
corn, carding, and fulling ditto, &c. &c. 

Standbridge, between the above and St. Armand. 
A great variety of surface and timber ; the west part 
rather low and marshy, but to the east higher, and 
composed of a rich black and yellow loam with a 
little sand. Well watered by the Pyke river and its 
branches, which work several saw and corn mills. 
Is intersected by several roads, — well settled on the 
north-east side, population 1800, 1 village, a school, 
9 saw-mills, 4 corn ditto, &c. &c. 

Sutton, between Brome on the north to the pro- 
vince line on the south. The land in general good 
and but few marshes. Sufficiently watered and some 
roads, the population 825, with grist and saw mills 
&c. &c. Bog and mountain iron-ores are found here, 
and there is 1 forge. 

The county and island of Montreal is granted in 
-seigniories, as is also the counties of Richlieu, 
Rouville, St. Hayacinth, Vaudreuil, and Vercheres. 
We therefore pass on to the counties of SheiTord and 
Stanstead, joining each other in the south part of 
this district and near the boundary line ; which are 
both laid out in townships, and which we take to- 
gether alphabetically as follows. 

Barford, between Hereford and Barnston, is not 
a full township, nor is it settled, although the land is 
described as excellent, the timber good, and the 

L.oFC. 



90 TOPOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 

whole tract being well watered promises to become 
valuable. 

Barnston is next to it and on the province line. 
The land a succession of hill and dale, with some 
swamps, but the chief part of it good for the growth 
of grain, &c. It is well watered and roaded, and the 
population, settled chiefly on the western side, is above 
1600. There is ungranted, &c., 5387 acres, and 
there is on the township several schools, 4 saw and 2 
corn mills, &c. &c. 

Bolton, to the west side of the lake Memphra- 
magog, is uneven and mountainous in surface, being 
crossed diagonally by a chain of heights from which 
flow streams that water it well. Being early laid out 
as a township it has a population of above 1000, 
with 4 schools, 5 saw-mills, 1 corn ditto, two 
taverns, several pot and pearl-asheries, &c. &c. The 
lands on the low parts are tolerably good, but those 
to the east are the best, presenting some fine settle- 
ments. 

Brome, between the above and Durham, and on 
lake Brome, in which part the land is partly settled 
and is good ; but great part of the whole is so moun- 
tainous as to be unfit for culture. On the north- 
west side the surface is rugged and high, but here 
grows some good timber, and there is found bog and 
mountain iron-ore in great quantities. Still that part 
which is susceptible of culture is well settled, for the 
population amounts to 1314 ; there are 5 schools, 7 
saw-mills, and other public erections corresponding. 



LOWER CANADA. ^| 

Ely, between Acton to the north and Stukeley to 
the south, is well watered, and few settlers are in it. 
The land is of a fair quality, and if cultivated promises 
fertility ; and the low parts, though rather wet, is of a 
good soil, producing some of the best kinds of hard 
black woods. Ungranted, 2800 acres. 

Farnham, between Standbridge, Durham, and 
Brome, is watered throughout by the inferior branches 
of the Yamaska. The land is of good quality generally, 
although there are several indifferent tracts, and there 
are large swamps to the north-west. Nearly all the 
land is granted ; and along the banks of the streams 
are some good patches of settlement. There are se- 
veral roads; — the population 835, 2 churches, 6 
schools, 1 village, 4 corn, 3 carding, and 3 fuHing 
mills, 13 saw-mills, 9 pearl-asheries, 4 pot ditto, with 
distilleries, a brewery and other public factories, 
show its prosperity. Ungranted and unlocated lands, 
1272 acres. 

Granby, to the north-east of the former. The land 
is generally of a useful quality, principally composed 
of a blackish loam, over which there is in some places 
a layer of fine vegetable mould. The timber is also of 
the best sorts, and it is watered much as the former 
township, but hardly yet known for settlement. 

Hatley is in the county of Stanstead, between 
Ascot and Compton, and east of the lake Memphra- 
magog. The quality of the land is very variable, for 
the surface is irregular, and in many places hilly. The 
soil, however, to the east and north-east is good, to 



92 TOPOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 

the west, it is superior ; but in the middle it is in- 
different, the surface beingrugged and swampy. There 
are some extensive settlements towards Ascot and 
Compton, as well as on the borders of the lake. The 
whole is well watered, there are many roads mads 
through it ; it contains the village of Charleston to 
the north-east, which has a Protestant church, a 
school, a brewery, and a distillery, with 115 inhabit- 
ants in the village. The population of the whole is 
above 1500 ; there are 8 schools, 11 saw-mills, 7 corn 
do., 6pot-asheries, and other public conveniences cor-- 
responding. Ungranted, &c. 12,641 acres. 

Milton in the county of Shefford, between Granby 
and Upton. The surface lies low, and in many places 
runs into swamps, so that it is inferior to Granby, 
though there is abundance of good grass land. 

PoTTON in Stanstead, on the province line until it 
meets Lake Memphramagog, is mostly hilly and un- 
even in surface, yet contains several good patches. 
There are several thriving settlements on the river 
Missisqui, which, with its tributaries, waters it well ; 
as also on the banks of the lake, where the land is 
particularly good. The roads are but indifferent ; 
though the population amounts to 804, with 3 carding- 
mills, 4 saw-mills, and other erections to correspond. 
Bog and mountain iron ores are found here. 

RoxTON in Shefford, bounded in front by that 
township, and in the rear by Acton, is watered by 
branches of the Yamaska, and contains but few set- 
tlers. The southern half only has been surveyed ; the 
land is rather wet, yet producing some of the best 



LOWER CANADA. 93 

species of hard black wood, seems of a good quality, 
and not unfit for tillage. Ungranted, &c. 12,000 
acres. 

Shefford, in the same county, and south of the 
above, is uneven in surface, and, towards the west^ 
mountainous. Though the uplands and high ridges 
are too stony to be of much value, the soil is de- 
scribed as in most places exceedingly rich, and the 
timber of the best species. Watered by several 
branches of the Yamaska, as well as other streams, 
and intersected by many roads communicating with 
the neighbouring townships. Some fine settlements 
are in the south-east part, and the banks of the rivers 
display many good breadths of grazing land. It is 
against this township, that it has one-seventh more 
than any other laid out in crown and clergy reserves, 
which stand greatly in the way of the improvement 
of other parts. The village called Frost Village con- 
tains 25 houses, and 120 souls. The population of 
the whole is 951, with 2 churches, 8 schools, 4 
saw-mills, and proportionate public erections. 

Stanstead, in the county of the same name, to the 
east of the lake Memphramagog, and between the 
province line on the south, and Hatley on the north, 
is superior to any of the adjacent townships in the 
advantages of its locality, excellence of soil, and 
quality of timber. It contains many large swells of 
land, some of them of considerable elevation, clothed 
with the best sorts of hard woods, while the lower 
parts are covered with abundance of common timber; 



94 TOPOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 

The south and easterly parts are well settled, and 
those along the lake are delightfully situated, and in 
a promising state of improvement, being surrounded 
by well-stocked gardens and orchards. There are 2 
villages, Georgeville at Copp's Ferry on the lake, 
and Stanstead near the province line, the last of which 
contains a population of 200. The stage road from 
Quebec passes through this township, and there are 
others which are inferior. Population, 3371, Pro- 
testant church, 1, schools, 15, saw-mills, 18, carding 
do. 7, com do. 9, foundery 1, &c. &c. 

Stukeley, in the county of Shefford, between Bolton 
and Ely. The land in some parts is rather above the 
medium quality, although the general surface is 
broken and uneven. Watered by streams flowing 
from the hills that stretch across it, as well as by 
some small lakes. Population, 275. 

Again crossing the St, Lawrence, we have to no- 
tice specifically the three remaining counties of this 
district, all lying on the northern side of the river, 
viz. Terrabonne, Two Mountains, and Ottawa, great 
part of which, particularly the two last, is laid out 
in townships. The first of these, namely. 

The county of Terrabone, with its seigniories 
stretching back from the St. Lawrence, or rather the 
Riviere des Prairies and the Isle Jesus, beside Mon- 
treal, to the northern boundary of the province, 
contains 

Abercrombie, in the rear of the augmentation of 
Mille Isles, and adjoining the township of Kilkenny 



LOWER CANADA. 9$ 

formerly noticed. The lands generally uneven and 
traversed by rocky ridges, the soil light, and in many 
parts stony and sandy, yet there are throughout some 
tracts of good land and meadows. Well watered 
generally. 

Howard, beside the above, not surveyed. 
The county of Two Mountains, between the above 
and the more westerly county of Ottawa, contains 
six townships ; viz. 

Arundell, in the rear of Harrington, not sur- 
veyed. 

Chatham, fronted by the Ottawa river, and of 
course in a highly favourable situation, is nine miles 
in breadth and twelve in depth. Up to the seventh 
range behind its frontage, the lands are generally 
level, with a few gentle acclivities, usually named 
maple ridges, intermixed with extensive natural meads, 
affording excellent pasturage, and occasional small 
cedar swamps. All this land is calculated to pro- 
duce hemp and flax, and the best sorts of grain. 
Beyond the seventh range, towards the rear, the sur- 
face becomes broken and uneven, being traversed in 
several parts by mountainous rising grounds, among 
which, however, there are mixed many intervals of 
rich soil. The hills are in several parts barren, par- 
ticularly on the west side, bordering Grenville, yet the 
timber, of which considerable quantities have been 
already felled, is of a superior description. Besides the 
North River, — which enters the township at the fifth 
concession, and down which the timber cut from it is 



96 TOPOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 

floated to the Ottawa, — it is watered by eight or nine 
small lakes, near its rear, as also by the West River, 
which is navigable for six miles through it ; as well as 
by numerous small streams. On the first range, in par- 
ticular, the settlements along the public road are nu- 
merous and flourishing, as well as partly on the second 
range. Beyond the fourth, and up to the eighth range, 
(in which are situated several blocks of crown and 
clergy reserves,) it remains almost a total wilderness^ 
thus precluding the few settlers in the rear from all 
communication directly with the great river in front. 
Besides the public road along the front, near the 
Ottawa, which is the main route from Montreal to the 
upper townships, two other roads bend some dis- 
tance towards the rear, and one reaches as far as the 
twelfth range, which ends at Chute Mills. The in- 
habitants of this tract are English, Scotch, Irish, 
Americans, and a few Canadians, amounting in all 
to a population of 1073, who have two public schools, 
well attended. There is one village of twenty-one 
dwelling-houses, called Davisville ; and linen cloth is 
made in the township to some extent. There are 
3 saw-mills, 2 stores in the village, 4 taverns, &c. 

In the rear of the neighbouring seigniory of Ar- 
genteuil, which separates it from the Ottawa, is a 
smaller tract, called Chatha:\i Gore, the front portion 
of which only, to the extent of four ranges, has been 
surveyed. This tract is distinguished by several beau- 
tiful lakes, which make the country round picturesque 
and romantic. Tliese abound in fisli, particularly 



LOWER CANADA. 97 

lake Bouchette, whose waters are remarkably clear, 
and afford plenty of fine salmon -trout. The land is, 
in general, fit for cultivation, being a clayey, sandy 
Joam, and for the growth of wheat and Indian corn 
is not to be surpassed, notwithstanding the moun- 
tainous character of the surface and the intermixture 
of rock with the soil in some parts. The timber is 
chiefly maple and beech, with other varieties ; there 
are three middling roads leading into the seigniory in 
front, and the settlers, who have some good farms 
along the sides of the lakes, are all Irish, and of the 
church of England. Th^ whole population is about 
400, having one church, a well attended school, with 
pot and pearl ash factories, tanneries, and other public 
erections. 

Grenville, with its augmentation, also on the 
Ottawa, and next higher up than Chatham, namely, 
to the west of it, and bounded in the rear by the 
waste lands of the crown, and La Petite Nation, 
is chiefly remarkable for its canal, which has been 
formed at great expense along the river to avoid the 
dangerous rapids of the Long Sault, the Carillon 
Kapids, and another, which, in front of this township^ 
form one of the many interruptions to its navigation. 
The surface is in general mountainous, yet some of 
the lower hills aff*ord good land for tillage, with many 
small valleys between, where the soil is excellent. 
In many parts the soil would produce hemp and flax^ 
but it varies from the richest clay loam to the poorest 
fox-land. An extensive valley runs through the east 

H 



98 TOPOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 

part of the augmentation, along the Beaver Meadow 
Creek and Rouge River, from which several other 
valleys diverge, which offer the best situations for 
settlers. Besides these rivers, with which, including 
the Kingham and the Calumet, the township is well 
watered, there are many lakes which are well stored 
with trout. On the Calumet is abundance of superior 
limestone, as also a black-lead mine, which has 
partly been worked. The timber in these valleys 
is elm, maple, birch, tamarisk, witb some cedar, ash, 
pine, and hemlock, and the soil is chiefly argillaceous, 
and mixed occasionally with a siliceous rock. The 
loads are in various directions up to about the seventh 
range, and of as various goodness. The best settle- 
ments are on the eastern section, and the whole town- 
ship seems peculiarly adapted for the breeding of 
cattle from the manner those already introduced have 
thriven. There are 970 acres under cultivation, and 
100 of pasture. There is a military establishment 
on the canal, which chiefly consists of the staff corps, 
and there is a village with 50 inhabitants, and a 
school with 40 scholars on the second range. The 
whole population, including the augmentation, is 
1875, who have 3 saw-mills, 3 pot-asheries, 1 corn- 
mill, 1 pottery, &c. &c. 

Harrington, lying in the rear of the above, only 
projected. 

Howard, in the rear of Wentworth, and only 
projected. 

Wentworth, just in the rear of Chatham, is ge- 



LOWER CANADA. S9 

nerally mountainous, and esteemed unfit for arable 
purposes, particularly in the rear of the three first 
ranges, where the land is of a tolerable quality, but 
as yet entirely unsettled. This township, however, 
produces excellent timber for naval purposes and in 
great abundance, and has the advantage of easy con- 
veyance for it by the North River, with which, with 
other streams and several small lakes, the whole is 
watered. 

The last county in the Lower Province is that of 
Ottawa, stretching westward, and northward along 
the north bank of the grand river of that name^ from 
the seigniory of La Petite Nation east, which joins it 
to the former county, up to the Temiscaming lake, and 
then bounded by the Hudson's Bay territory in the 
rear. Many townships are laid out along the grand 
river, which separates this county from the territory 
of Upper Canada, with which an imperfect commu- 
nication is formed by a line of bridges thrown across 
the rapids, between Hull on the one side, and By 
Town on the other ; but none of these being sur- 
veyed higher up than Clarendon, we shall proceed 
to notice them as they stand in their order along the 
bank of the river from La Petite Nation northward. 
The first of these is — 

Buckingham, between the before-mentioned sei- 
gniory and Temple ton above it ; is well watered in the 
surveyed parts, namely, up to the fifth range, by the 
river Au Lievre, and its streams running into the 
Ottawa in front. The maior part of the first range 
L.oFC. ' „9 



100 TOPOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 

on this and the other townships on the grand river 
is overflowed in the spring and fall by tliat great 
stream spreading considerably beyond its ordinary 
banks, which prevents buildings being erected near 
it, yet, by its copious irrigation of the soil at these 
reasons, leaves, when the waters recede, most whole- 
:Some and rich pasturage. From the river backwards 
to the fourth range, the surface of the land is low, 
and generally level, with several gentle slopes of 
fertile land, covered with large and well grown timber. 
Beyond this, north, the surface rises, and is often 
steep and abrupt. There are several very eligible 
sites for villages in this township, particularly in two 
places near a basin, into which the river Au Lievre 
discharges its waters. But some lands granted by 
letters patent to the late Captain Eobinson, as well 
as the crown reserves on the second range, being 
still unsettled, and left in a state of nature, consi- 
derably retard the general improvement of the town- 
ship. As far back, however, as 1827, Mr. Beglow, 
a large proprietor, living on the spot, had cleared 
-about 400 acres, and erected a saw-mill on the river. 
The roads are as yet bad ; the whole population is 
266; there are 2 saw and 1 corn mill, with a 
pottery, a pot-ashery, and a tavern. 

Templeton, next to the above, and bounded in the 
Tear by the partly surveyed township of Portland. 
Approaching the Ottawa the land is low, but the 
•soil is tolerably good, and in many parts backwards, 
which rise from the front in fertile swells, it is of an 



LOWER CANADA. lOlC 

exceedingly good quality. Norway white and yellow 
pine are abundant in the fore parts, besides spruce, 
cedar, bass wood, and balsam, and in the rear it is 
chiefly timbered by elm, birch, beech, maple, &c. The 
settlements made here are chiefly in the south-west 
quarter, along a road which has been opened by the 
commissioners in front of the township; but these 
are as yet few, the population being only 60, and the 
road is by no means in good order. It is, however, 
exceedingly well watered by several streams and long 
narrow ponds or lakes. There is one pot-ashery and 
a pearl do. 

Portland, in the rear of the above, is watered by 
the river Blanche, and, imperfectly surveyed, is re- 
ported to be mountainous and rocky. 

Hull, next on the Ottawa above Templeton, and 
owing its present prosperity to the exertions of the 
celebrated Philemon Wright and his associates 
extends 16 ranges in depth, and contains 82,429 
acres. Of this large tract Mr. AVright, in 1806, 
obtained a grant by letters-patent of 12,000 acres, of 
which, between 5000 and 6000 are now under culti^ 
vation; and to this enterprising American and his 
family, in reward for his great industry and manage- 
ment, there have also been granted 5000 acres in thft 
neighbouring township of Templeton, besides nearly 
as much in Lochaber, so that his property and power 
are immense in this part of the country. As this 
township has been more particularly inspected than 
any of the others on the Ottawa, and as its charac- 



iO^ TOPOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 

teristics are more or less that of those above and 
below it, a more particular description, at least of 
what remains to be granted and located of it, is 
deemed of importance. 

The front of this township, says Boiichette, is, 
generally, a plain, undulated by gradual swells as far 
back as the highlands in the sixth range, which traverse 
it in a curvilinear direction almost parallel with the 
Ottawa. Beyond these, the surface rises into more fre- 
quent and abrupt slopes, though by no means unfit for 
tillage, and becomes a rich grazing country. The 
general features of Hull are mountainous, and about 
its centre there runs a range of hills from east to west, 
the highest of which rises to 900 feet above the level 
of the river. The excellence of the timber growing 
upon this hilly land, and the slopes descending behind 
the range as well as towards the front, shows, how- 
ever, the richness of the soil, and the swamps are 
said to be but few and of small extent. The oak 
growing here, of which there are 4 species, is fit for 
naval purposes, and of the pine, of which there are 
not less than 10 species, much is of large dimen- 
sions. Of the birch, there are 5 sorts; the maple, 6 ; 
the beech, 2 ; the ash, 2 ; the elm, 2 ; the cherry, 3 ; 
and the willow, 6 ; making in all, even as far as has 
been yet observed, 42 species of forest trees and 
shrubs. An iron bed, of great richness, has also been 
discovered here, but has not yet been opened. There 
is also a lead mine on the Gatineau River, from which 
the Indians have brought down quantities of ore, but 



LOWER CANADA. 103" 

owing to the reluctance of these aborigines to speak 
of discoveries of this nature, its site has not been pub- 
licly ascertained. In this township, as well as along 
the Ottawa above it, there is abundance of the finest 
marble, which is chiefly on the Gatineau river ; and 
upon it, there is also the best sort of limestone, 
besides granite, that is found among the ranges of 
rocks in the interior. These particulars are given 
briefly, in order to indicate what is likely to be found 
also in the neighbouring townships, when as well 
known as this is. The whole is well watered by the 
above river and by numerous lakes, which are found 
in the chain of highlands in the interior, some of 
which lakes are extremely beautiful, and abound with 
trout. 

Mr. Wright* has, at great expense and labour, 
opened several roads both towards the interior and 
for the facility of communication along the shores of 
the river through the lower townships to Montreal, 
from which Hull is distant 120 miles. There is also 
the village of Wright, pleasantly situated on the 
south-east angle of the township, which contains a 
handsome church, with a steeple 120 feet high, a 
comfortable hotel, and several other public edifices. 
The population, which is rapidly increasing, consisted, 
originally, almost entirely of Americans, and in 1828 
amounted to 1066. There are 3 schools, 2 tanneries, 

* For a further account of the proceedings of this enter- 
prising individual, see Appendix. 



104 TOPOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 

12 lime-kilns, 2 brick-kilns, 4 saw-mills, 2 distilleries^ 
and other manufactories to correspond ; and the lands 
still ungranted and unlocated amount to 21,250 acres. 

Eardly, next higher up the Ottawa, or rather on 
the lake Chaudiere, formed by it in this place, is- 
indented, in its frontage, by two large bays of the; 
lake, into which two small rivers discharge their 
streams, with others of inferior size, plentifully water- 
ing the front ranges of the township. It contains 
also some small lakes in the interior, but no con- 
siderable rivers, and being but thinly settled, even in 
front, has no regular roads. Hilly ground com- 
mences along the sixth range, from which, to the 
margin of the lake, the country is, in general, level, 
or rises into rich and gradual swells of excellent 
land. Large tracts of fine land are yet ungranted in 
this township, which, says Bouchette, ' if placed 
under the superintendence of an active agent, may, 
in time, become a settlement of interest and conse- 
quence.* By the last report of the population, it only 
amounts to 156 persons, which are chiefly from the 
neighbouring prosperous township of Hull. There 
is 1 school, and 19,590 acres of land still ungranted. 

Onslow, higher up the Ottawa, or, rather, the lake 
Chaudiere, which is an expansion of that river, is re- 
markably rocky and uneven in surface, with little 
land that is likely to tempt the settler. It is well 
watered, but there are no roads, and only 31 persons 
settled on it, with 1 saw-mill. 

^Bristol, next above the former, is but little settled^ 



LOWER CANADA. 105 

and hardly known, nor has it any roads. Popu- 
lation, 33. 

Clarendon is the next, and 150 miles from Mon- 
treal. It is the last township up the Ottawa that is 
partly settled, having 98 souls upon it, with a corn- 
mill, a saw-mill, and a pot-ashery. It is described as 
very well watered, but little more is known concern- 
ing this remote township. 

It would not be doing justice to a district of country 
that seems destined, at no distant period, to become 
most important, were we to close this brief account of 
these partially known townships without some notice 
of the interesting river Gatineau, which, rising in 
some large lakes far in the interior, traverses Hull as 
before-mentioned, and falls into the Ottawa about 
half a mile farther down, namely, in the western front 
of the township of Templeton. This wide, and, in 
the upper parts, rapid river, is navigable for steam- 
boats nearly 5 miles from its mouth, and above that, 
becoming rapid for about 15 miles, and turning seve- 
ral mills, thence is navigable for canoes, &c., to a 
distance, it is said, of 300 miles, traversing an 
immense and interesting vale, full of natural riches, 
and abounding in views of the wildest and most ro- 
mantic scenery. 

Mr. M'Taggart, civil engineer in the British 
service, having explored a considerable portion of this 
remarkable vale, speaks in the highest terms of its 
general capabilities ; and in his zeal to see it cleared 
and made use of, makes a curious suggestion, viz., that 



106 TOPOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 

our Government should, for a time, transport the con- 
victs thither for that purpose, observing, that here they 
would be quite apart from the rest of the inhabitants of 
the colony, and, if placed high enough on the river, it 
would, on account of the intervening woods, be per- 
fectly impossible for them to escape. * It embraces/ 
says lie, ' an area of 25,000 square miles, perfectly 
distinct from all lands of location, ranging between 
the 46° and 48° of north latitude, and may average 
about 300 feet above the level of the ocean. It is 
covered with a dense wilderness of trees, generally of 
the hard wood kind, oak, beech, maple, butter-nut, 
&c., which are of the very best quality. The snow 
falls in the beginning of December, and generally 
vanishes with the month of March. It is subject to 
two floods in the spring, like the Ottawa.' Speaking 
of his convicts, he adds, ' As the local situation also 
is excellent with regard to Upper and Lower Canada 
and the interior, it might become a place of great im- 
portance and utility to the mother country*;' and 
Bouchette speaks of it as a most promising quarter 
for the cultivation of that important article of British 
commerce — hemp and flax. * Our ignorance of this 
river,' adds the latter author, ' is partly explained by 
the common report of its course ; because, for up- 
wards of 100 miles before it joins the Ottawa, it 
flows parallel with, and but at a short distance from 
it, so that no Indian traders have found it worth their 
while to make establishments on it. This river has 
* M'Taggart's Three Years in Canada, vol. ii. p. 262. 



LOWER CANADA. 107 

been wholly unfrequented by tlie lumber- dealer, on 
account of the great rapids and falls near its mouth, 
at one spot said to be 100 feet perpendicular. It is 
supposed that the Gatineau will present one of the 
finest pieces of river navigation in Canada after 
passing the heights near its mouth. The variety of 
minerals known to lie on the banks- of this river 
renders it an object of still higher interest *.' 

As for the upper northern banks of the Ottawa, 
belonging to this province, but not yet surveyed, the 
goodness of the land and their prospective importance 
may be inferred from the fact of their being the chief 
resort of the winter lumberers, who cut down from 
thence and float down the rivers those enormous piles 
of fine timber which make so great a branch of 
Canadian commerce with the mother country. 

* Bouchette's British Dominions in North America — ^Topo- 
graphical Dictionary, article Gatineau. 



GEOGRAPHICAL AND TOPOGRAPHICAL 
SKETCHES. 



PART II. 

UPPER CANADA. 

The reasons wliy we have been so minute in our 
topographical notices of Lower Canada, are, first, 
because it being far a thicker peopled country than 
the Upper Province, and its consequent increasing 
importance causing it to be better surveyed, we are 
more amply furnished with the means ; second, 
because the closer a productive country is settled, 
the more valuable in general becomes its land, the 
more interesting of course is all information con- 
cerning it, and the more numerous its advantages to 
the local improver ; and third, because, by the pro- 
posed formation of a public association in England, 
namely, the British American Land Company, the 
best lands of its numerous townships are likely soon 
to be taken up, for the purpose of their disposal 
under favourable terms to individuals for the encou- 
ragement of well-regulated emigration, and the 
facilitating of local improvement in that quarter. 

The Upper Province, however, though a younger 
colony, more remote from the coast, less settled 
as yet, and far less improved generally, — possessing, 
however, a rich soil and a fine climate, and many 



110 TOPOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 

ready advantages particularly to the poor industrious 
raan, — besides being at present the favourite spot for 
common emigrants — we shall give some general 
sketch of its geographical position, as well as such 
particulars of its soil and local advantages as the docu- 
ments we are in possession of enable us to do, so 
far as these would seem to be of interest to the 
intelligent inquirer. 

In running the finger along the map, the first 
thing that strikes the inspector, in reference to 
Upper Canada, is its great extent of water frontier; 
first, at its commencement along the northern side of 
the St. Lawrence, and betwixt it and the Ottawa; 
second, along the same side of lake Ontario, namely, 
for 230 miles ; third, along lake Erie for 350 miles 
more ; and, fourth, northerly along lake Huron, &c., 
and then easterly in the rear, for a distance that 
cannot be easily named. The reader knows that the 
grand river Ottawa, with the Nipissing lake, the 
French river, and a great limb of the lake Huron, 
bounds it to the north; and that internal to these 
there are various other smaller but important lakes, 
as lake Simcoe, Balsam lake, Trout lake, Rice lake, 
Eideau lake, and a number of others already known 
and named ; besides, no doubt, many others lying in 
that vast unexplored tract, which stretches north 
from lake Simcoe, and the chain of lakes east of it, to 
the banks of the Ottawa, and the Nepissing lake far 
to the north. 

Upper Canada is generally a level country, with 



UPPER CANADA. Ill 

a remarkably rich soil, and well watered by nu- 
merous rivers, yet is not entirely without occa- 
sional ridges or ranges of elevated or table-land, 
none of which, however, at all deserve the name of 
mountains. The first of these is a ridge of this 
description, which, commencing about the boundary 
line that separates this from the Lower Province, 
and running westerly between the St. Lawrence 
and the Ottawa, traverses the townships in the rear 
of Osnabruck, Williamsbury, and Matilda, in which 
last township the river Petite Nation takes its source, 
at the distance of 5 miles only from the St. Law- 
rence ; thence dividing the source of one of the 
great branches of the Rideau at about ten miles dis- 
tance from the former river, it becomes at length, 
after traversing the townships of Bustard and Crosby, 
lost in level at no great distance farther inland. 
Several other low ridges traverse the country, mostly 
westerly, as if they were a continuation of the above, 
and become the head of numerous streams, until 
arriving at the northern borders of the Balsam lake, 
where the chief of them assumes a higher elevation 
than usual, they again stretch towards lake Simcoe, 
and help to diversify the general monotony of the 
face of the country. 

There is another ridge of elevated land, which 
beginning at that arm of the sea called the bay of 
Quinte, extends westerly along the shores of lake 
Ontario, approaching that lake in some places, as 



112 TOPOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 

in the township of Hamilton, at a distance of not 
more than nine miles. This ridge, stretching a little 
northerly, passes the rear of York at a distance of 
24 miles from tliat capital, thence bending again, 
south and easterly, round the head of the lake, it 
joins the Burlington and Queenstown heights, until 
still running easterly, now along the south shore 
of the lake, it enters the United States territory 
beyond the Niagara. 

Inspecting carefully any good map, the inquirer 
will perceive, in running his eye along the north 
shores of the St. Lawrence and the Ontario, that 
the majority of the rivers on this side of these 
ridges, which join that river or the lake, are short 
and small, excepting those that join the lakes inland ; 
while a number of streams, which run north until 
they join the Ottaw\a, are long, and flow through a 
considerable extent of country. As the short front 
rivers have no great fall towards the St. Lawrence or 
the Ontario, no more than the land has from the 
moderate heights before-mentioned, — as in fact, the 
ilescent on both sides of the frontier heights is only 
about four feet to a mile ; and as on the lake side of 
the ridge the distance is greatly shorter than on the 
north towards the Ottawa, the question immediately 
arises how this can be. The difficulty is, however, 
at once solved by the remarkable fact, ' Ascertained 
and established,' says Bouchette, ' by the engineer 
employed on the Eideau canal, — namely, that the 



UPPER CANADA. 113; 

level of lake Ontario is about 130 feet higher than 
that of the Ottawa river ; therefore is the descent 
from the table-land, before-mentioned, so gradual 
and imperceptible on both sides.' 

The largest and most populous of the towns in 
Upper Canada, and called the key to the province, 
is Kingston, advantageously situated at the head of 
the St. Lawrence, and entrance of the great lake 
Ontario. Its population is now about 5,500 souls; 
it is a military post of importance, as well as a naval 
dep6t, and from its local position and advantages,. 
is well susceptible of fortification. It contains noble 
dock-yards and conveniences for ship building. 
* Its bay affords,' says Howison, ' so fine a harbour,, 
that a vessel of an hundred and twenty guns can lie 
close to the quay,' and the mercantile importance it 
has now attained, as a commercial entrepot between 
Montreal below, and the western settlements on the 
lakes above, may be inferred, among other things, 
from the wharfs on the river and the many spacious 
and well-fitted warehouses behind them, as well as 
the numerous stores, and mercantile employes within 
the town. The streets are regularly formed upon that 
right-angular plan, which is the favourite in new set- 
tlements, but they are not paved ; and though the 
houses are mostly built of limestone, inexhaustible 
quarries of which lie in the immediate vicinity of the 
town, and are of the greatest importance to it and the 
surrounding neighbourhood, there is nothing in the 
least degree remarkable or interesting in the appear- 

I 



114 TOPOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 

ance of either the streets or buildings. The opening 
of the Rideau Canal here, which with the intermediate 
lakes forms a junction between the Ontario and other 
lakes above, the St. Lawrence below, and the Ottawa 
opposite to Hull in its rear, with all the intervening 
districts and townships, will immensely increase the 
importance of this place ; and its convenient hotels 
already afford comfortable accommodation to the host 
of travellers, that are continually passing between the 
upper and lower provinces, as well as to and from the 
states on the opposite side of the river. 

Appended to this important place, and at successive 
points on the St. Lawrence, as the traveller proceeds 
from the Lower Province, are the several towns of 
Cornwall, Johnstown, Prescot, Elizabeth Town^ and 
Brockville, besides a continuance of small villages on 
the same thoroughfare road along the river. Of these 
towns, Cornwall and Johnstown, standing close to 
the river, contains each nearly 100 houses, built of 
wood, with a church, court-house, &c. Prescot, now 
called Fort Wellington, is important as being the chief 
stage between this port and Montreal, from which it 
is distant 130 miles, and between which coaches run 
every day, except Sundays. From the position of 
this place, however, as at the head of the Montreal 
boat-navigation, and at the foot of the sloop and 
steam navigation from the lakes, it must soon in- 
crease in extent, as it will rise in importance. 

The next place of expected importance in this near 
end of the province, is the inland town of Perth, 



UPPER CANADA. 115 

pleasantly situated in the district of Bathurst, and 
tovsTiship of Drummond, on a small branch of the 
Kideau, called the Tay river, and occupying a position 
nearly central between the St. Lawrence to the south, 
and the Ottawa behind. This village was founded in 
1815, by British emigrants, chiefly from Scotland^ 
many of whom are now we are told at the head of 
excellent farms, possess comfortable habitations, and 
reap the fruits of their perseverance and industry. 
Near the centre of the town is a hill, on which a 
court-house, a jail, and two churches, have been 
erected. The streets are sixty-six feet wide ; the to\vn 
contains between one and two hundred buildings, 
some of them finished in an olegant and commodious 
manner, and the whole population may be about 
400 souls. The relative situation of this place with 
the surrounding country, and the Rideau canal in its 
neighbourhood, with its other advantages, as com- 
municating by tolerably good roads, with By-Town on 
the Ottawa to the north, and Kingston on the St. 
Lawrence to the south, besides its being placed in 
the midst of a fertile country, all give good promise 
of its future prosperity and importance. 

By- Town before-mentioned, situated on the south- 
ern bank of the Ottawa, a little below the Chau- 
diere falls, and opposite to the flourishing village of 
Hull in Lower Canada, stands upon a bold eminence, 
surrounding a bay of the grand river, and occupies 
both banks of the canal, which here meets it. Laid out 
in the usual manner with wide streets crossing at right 

i2 



116 TOPOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 

angles, the number of houses are already about 150, 
most of which are of wood, and many built with much 
taste. Three stone barracks, and a large and commo- 
dious hospital, built also of stone, stand conspicuous 
on the elevated banks of the bay ; and the elegant 
residence of Colonel By, the commanding royal en- 
gineer on that station, delightfully situated on the 
same elevation, commands a prospect over the river, 
and its falls, and rapids, that is scarcely to be equalled 
among the variety of the Canadas. 



EASTERN SECTION. 

The first, or eastern section of the Upper Province^ 
in which all these towns are situated, consists of the 
whole of that tract, or tongue of land lying between 
the St. Lawrence and the Ottawa, and bounded above, 
that is on the west, by the next higher district called 
Newcastle, includes five districts, — viz.-the Eastern, the 
Ottawa, the Johnstown, the Bathurst, and the Midland. 

The whole of this section presents almost unexcep- 
tionably a table level, of moderate elevation, with a very 
gentle depression as it approaches the different streams 
with which it is bounded and intersected. The soil is 
in general rich and fertile, though with a consider- 
able mixture of moist and marshy spots, and consists 
chiefly of a brown clay and yellow loam. In the 
upper part, along the shores of the Ontario, and about 
the bay of Quints, it is still more clayey, and rests 



UPPER CANADA. Il7 

upon a substratum of bluish limestone, wliicli some- 
times penetrates through the soil above the surface. 
The timber in the forests is large and lofty, the trees 
chiefly consisting of white pine, white and red oak, 
maple, beech, birch, hickory, basswood, ironwood, 
butternut, and poplar, with a lesser quantity of ash, 
elm, and cedar. Along the banks of the St. Lawrence 
and upwards, as well as on the Ottawa in the 
rear, the land is w^ell, if not thickly settled, the most 
populous being of course along the former from point 
Au Baudet to the head of the bay of Quinte. The 
particulars of the nature and quality of soil in the 
several townships, with the advantages or disadvan- 
tages of situation, we are enabled to give from esti- 
mates made according to directions of the provincial 
government, at the quarter sessions, by the magistrates 
assembled. Perhaps few national documents are more 
deserving of attention, for although it may be said that 
they are founded on opinion, it is the opinion of the 
most intelligent body of men in the country. They 
exhibit also an estimate of value, but circumstances 
have so changed in the province since, that it would 
no longer be of any use to quote the prices. 



EASTERN DISTRICT. 

The first of these is the eastern district, com- 
mencing at the boundary line of the province at the 
east, and running along the north bank of the St. 
Lawrence, until it meets the next district of Johns- 



118 TOPOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 

town, above the township of Matilda. It is divided 
into twelve townships in two ranges, whose advan- 
tages and disadvantages are described as follows^ be- 
ginning with — 

Lancaster, being the first next the boundary line, 
and fronting the St. Lawrence. Soil. — Clay and 
loam : generally low land, but productive. Advan- 
tages. — Saw and grist mills. Dundas Street passes 
through it. 

LocHiEL, in the rear of the former. Soil. — Hear 
part of this township rich ; front part, low land and 
stony. Advantages. — Watered by the river de Lisle, 
and river de Grass. Grist and saw mills. 

Charlotte NBURGH, next higher up than Lancas- 
ter, and also fronting the St. Lawrence. Soil. — Much 
the same as Cornwall. Advantages. — Well watered; 
several grist and saw mills. Dundas Street passes 
through it. 

Kenyon, in the rear of the former. Soil. — Loam 
and clay; fine soil. Advantages. — Well watered, 
but few mill-sites, not valuable. 

Cornwall, next higher up the St. Lawrence than 
Charlottenburg. Soil. — Red loam, clay, and stony. 
Advantages. — Dixon's, Chisholm's, Cline's, Fraser's, 
and Link's mills, different branches of the river Aux 
Raisins. Dundas Street runs through the centre of 
this township. 

RoxBORouGH, in the rear of the above. Soil. — 
Generally black loam and clay ; some part to the west 
is stony. Advantages. — Watered by the north branch 
of the river Aux Raisins, and several creeks. 



UPPER CANADA. 219 

OsNABRUCK, the next higher on the St. Lawrence. 
Soil. — Front part sandy ; in the rear a good soil of 
loam and clay. Advantages. — "Watered in front by 
the St. Lawrence, river Aux Raisins ; Hoople's creek 
has Crysler's mill, and Louck's mill. 

Finch, at the rear of Osnabruck. Soil. — Good; 
the front part black loam ; the rear sandy. Advan- 
tages. — A branch of the Petite Nation river runs 
through it. Several mill-sites. 

WiLLiAMSBURGH, ncxt above Osnabruck on the 
St. Lawrence. Soil. — Much the same ; some parts 
stony. Advantages. — Watered in the interior by 
creeks. Grist and saw-mills. 

Winchester, at the rear of Williamsburgh. Soil. 
— Loam mixed with sand. Advantages. — Petite 
Nation river, and branch of the Castor river runs 
through it. One mill-site. 

Matilda, above Williamsburgh on the St. Law- 
rence. Soil. — Black loam, clay, and sand; gene- 
rally productive. Advantages. — Watered by the St. 
Lawrence in front ; one branch of the river Petite 
Nation runs through the rear of it. Two grist-mills 
on the St. Lawrence. 

Mountain, in the rear of Matilda. Soil. — Mixed 
loam and clay. Advantages. — Branches of the Petite 
Nation river runs through it. One saw-mill. 

To these particulars we are enabled also by the 
kindness of Mr. Gait, to add the following original 



120 TOPOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 

REPORT on the Townships of the Eastern Dis- 
trict, by Duncan M'Dowell, Esq., Deputy- 
Surveyor of the Province. 
Sir, Glengarry, llth September, 1S27. 

In the eastern Ottawa, Johnstown, and Bathurst 
districts, lands have frequently been sold for from 
155. to 2O5. per acre, and some particular lots from 
22s. to 255. per acre ; sales at that price were more 
common from the year 1814 to ]820; those were 
times that cash was in greater circulation ; the price 
of land greatly depended on the state of settlement, 
mills, roads, &c., in the townships in which the lands 
were situated. Since that period money became scarce 
and the sale of land not so frequent, and the average 
price since, is generally from 125. Qd. to 155. per acre : 
individuals who were in distress had to sell their lands 
for what they could get, and the price of that class of 
people was from 55. to 75. 6d. per acre, and it is by that 
description of persons that the greater quantity of 
lands were sold, as they did not sell their lands for 
what they were worth, but for what they could get. 
I shall mention in this report the situation and state 
of the Canada Company's lots in the eastern districts, 
with such other information as I think may be inte- 
resting to you for the information of the Company, 
and shall, without delay, send you a similar one of 
the Ottawa, Johnstown, and Bathurst districts, in case 
that they may prove more satisfactory than those I 
formerly sent you. 



UPPER CANADA. 121 

TownsliiiD of Lancaster is well settled, and the 
lands generally good ; the lots belongmgtothe Com- 
pany, Nos. 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 in the 9th concession, are 
rather of an indifferent quality ; *the soil is very light 
and sandy ; they are in the vicinity of a settlement 
convenient to mills and a road leading to them. This 
township fronts the river St. Lawrence, the river Bo- 
datte, and river Del isle, and a nmnber of other 
smaller streams run through it ; the river Delisle 
passes within a mile of the Company's lands. I 
am of opinion that from 95. to 10s. per acre 
would be a fair price for lands in that tract, and that 
more from its local situation than the quality of the 
land : those lots are occupied by squatters, with the 
exception of No. 5 ; Samuel M'Dowell occupies No. 
6 ; Malcolm M'Niel occupied and made improvements 
on No. 4, but left it lately ; Alexander M'Dowell 
occupies Nos. 2 and 3 : no timber fit for market was 
taken olf those lots, and I believe that no timber fit for 
that purpose grew on them. Few sales, of late years, 
have taken place of uncleared land in Lancaster ; there 
are but very few lots in it without a settler on it ; but 
during the period above stated such lots as were sold, 
and were good, sold generally from 15s. to 20s. per 
acre. The principal road through the province, called 
Dundas Street, goes through the interior of this 
township. 

Township of Lochiel is well settled, the lands ge- 
nerally good : the lots belonging to the Company are 
mostly such as were rejected by the discharged soldiers 



122 TOPOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 

and emigrants who settled on the Crown reserves 
tinder the superintendence of the Quarter- Master- 
General ; but some of those lots are good land for 
Canadians, who, by their mode of clearing, make 
the swampy lands the best for tillage ; the river La 
Grass, and several small streams which empty into 
it, runs through it, and the river Delisle crosses the 
south-west corner. On those rivers there are grist 
and saw mills ; the road leading from Cornwall to the 
Ottowa in Hawkesbury passes through it, and several 
roads are cut across and lengthways through this 
township which are convenient to the Company's lots. 
A number of the lots marked as belonging to the 
Company have been granted to emigrants and dis- 
charged soldiers by the Quarter-Master-General's de- 
partment ; the following are the lots granted : — 
2d concession, north half, No. 6, granted to Duncan M'Tavish. 

whole of No. 11, granted to Lt. Angus M'Dowell. 
south half No. 13, granted to Allan M-'Dowell. 
3rd ditto, north do. No. 11, granted to John M'Dowell, pri- 
vate, G. Regt. 
4th ditto, south do. No. 7, granted to John M'Caig, No. 

17, S.i 
9th ditto, do. do. No. 2, granted to Donald Lothian. 

do. ditto, do. do. No. 4, granted to M'Tavish. 

whole of No. 8, granted to Duncan M'Pherson, 
and widow M'Intyre. 
No. 10, granted to Peter M-Dougall. 
No. 14, granted to M'Intosh and Ca- 
meron. 
No. 16, squatted upon by James Dayly, 
who sold his improvements to Thomas M' Donald for 



UPPER CANADA. 123 

£lb, wlio is now in the possession of it. No. 38, 
granted to M'Gillivray : this lot only contains 100 
acres, although reckoned 140 acres in the Company's 
book ; from 15s. to 20s. has often been given per acre 
for lands in tliis township. Mr. M' Do well, of Point 
Fortune, sold 2000 acres at 20s. per acre, bearing 
interest until paid, besides several others who sold 
lands at the above stated price. I believe no timber 
has been taken by lumber-men from the Company's 
lands in Lochiel since sold to the Company. 

Township of Roxborough. A great portion of this 
township are clergy reserves, and some of it granted 
to New England loyalists. Part of the front conces- 
sions are very partially settled. In this settlement there 
is a grist and saw mill. The north branch of the river 
Aux Raisins, and a branch of the river Petite Nation, 
called the Pean, rises in Roxborough ; a great part of 
it is swampy. The 9th concession, which belongs to 
the Canada Company, is generally good ; the road from 
Cornwall to the settlement on the Petite Nation in 
Plantagenet passes by the east side of that concession ; 
its local situation is favourable, as the intercourse of 
the settlers that may be there will be by the Petite 
Nation down the Ottawa to Montreal. So much of the 
Company's lands being in a block will be an induce- 
ment to people to purchase, as in such a tract a com- 
pact settlement may be formed. With the exception of 
the streams already mentioned, there are but very few 
streams in this township ; it is poorly watered ; and it 
is a matter of course, where there are so few settlers, 



124 TOPOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 

that little has been done to roads. I think that about 
10s. per acre is a fair price for lands in this concession. 
I have heard of no sales of any consequence in this 
township. Some elms were taken off the Crown 
reserves before they were sold to the Company. 

Township of Finch, generally, is excellent land, 
thinly settled ; a great part of it was granted to the 
sons and daughters of New England loyalists, which 
fell into the hands of speculators, a circumstance that 
operates much against the settlement of this township. 
The river Petite Nation runs through it crossways, 
and a branch of it lengthways called the Pean river; 
little has been done to roads, and the settlers suffer 
much inconveniency in that respect. Mr. Crysler 
built an excellent mill, with a number of saws in it, on 
the Nation, near the rear and centre of the township, 
and is also to build a grist-mill in the same place, 
which will be a great benefit to this part of the 
country, and encourage settlement in this as well as 
in the neighbouring townships. No lands of any 
consequence have been sold in Finch, except what 
Mr. Crysler bought from the descendants of New 
England loyalists, which he bought for a mere trifle ; 
he values those lands from 15.9. to 255. per acre. 
The greater part of the oak as well as the pine, upon 
the Crown reserves, fit for market, has been taken 
off" the Crown reserves, before they were sold to the 
Company, by lumber-men : the soil on which white 
oak grows is generally deep black soil, with a clayey 
bottom, which is reckoned the best of land, and the 



tJPPER CANADA. 125 

latter timber grows on light sandy soil. Good lands- 
in this township, in my opinion, even in these hard 
times, are worth from IO5. to 12s. per acre. North half, 
lot 23, in the 3rd concession, which is marked as be- 
longing to the Company, has been granted to Hugh 
M'Phee by the Quarter- Master- General's department. 
Township of Winchester is generally good land ; 
some parts of it swampy, but good Canadian land, or 
such land as Canadians reckon good : large grants 
were made to individuals, and the remainder to the 
descendants of New England loyalists, which they 
generally sold for a trifle to speculators. Winchester 
is very thinly settled, only 11 or 12 settlers in it, who 
labour under great difficulties for want of roads, and 
are a great distance from a grist-mill. Telaboch's 
saw-mill is in the south-east corner of this township ; 
Mr. Mackel is building, or is about building, a grist- 
mill on iot No. 18, in the 3rd concession, on the 
Nation, which, when in operation, and Mr. Crysler's- 
grist-mill on the Nation in Finch, will very greatly 
benefit the settlement of Winchester, and increase the 
value of property in this as well as in the adjoining 
townships. The Nation in winter answers the purpose 
of a good road, as well as a navigation in summer ; 
and as the time very probably is not far distant when 
there will be a canal between the head of the Galloup 
rapids in Edward sburgh, seven miles below Prescott, 
and the south branch of the Petite Nation in Mountain, 
when that important communication takes place, 
it will benefit the townships along the Nation in that 



126 TOPOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 

direction, in many instances at present not thought of. 
Notwithstanding the inconveniences that the settlers 
have at present to encounter, still from the good 
quality of the land generally in A¥inchester, and its 
local situation, and the great advantages to be derived 
from such a river as the Petite Nation running through 
it, I am of opinion, even now, good lands in it are 
worth from IO5. to 125. per acre. Almost all the 
oak and pine timber fit for market has been taken off 
the Crown reserves, long before they were sold to the 
Canada Company, by lumber-men, who destroyed all 
the corner posts of lots for fear of being detected in 
plundering, by which means a great many of the 
Company's lots cannot be ascertained. Few sales of 
lands have taken place in this township : the heirs of 
the late Richard Duncan, Esq., and the heirs of the 
late Hon. Thomas Fraser, own a great part of it ; the 
heirs of the former sold several lots for 10s. per acre, 
and the latter value theirs at 20s. per acre. Fousaint 
Saint and Robert Gray, squatters, occupy lot No. 11 
in the 3rd concession. 

Township of Mountain generally is excellent land: 
great tracts were granted to individuals, and the re- 
mainder to the descendants of the New England 
loyalists. In the front of this township, along the 
Nation river, is a fine thriving settlement ; tolerably 
good roads for so new a country. On lot No. 18, in, 
the 3rd concession, there is a good saw-mill on a 
stream which empties into the Nation. A number of 
the Company's lots are in the vicinity of this mill. 



UPPER CANADA. 127 

There is a grist-mill convenient to this settlement in 
Edwardsburgh ; the oak timber fit for market has long 
since been taken away by Imnber-men. The heirs of 
the late Colonel Thomas Fraser own a great deal 
of lands in Momitain, who sold a few lots for 20*. 
per acre, and value the rest at the same price : as the 
lands in this township are owned by persons who are 
independent, and others who are needy, the former 
sell their lands for what they think they are worth, 
and the latter for what they can get. From the 
future benefit to be expected from such a river as the 
Nation running through it by the contemplated im- 
provement of its navigation, and by having a water 
communication between the St. La\vrence and the 
Nation in Mountain, I am of opinion that lands in 
this township are well worth from IO5. to 125. 6d. per 
acre even in these hard times. David Frelie, a 
squatter, occupies lot No. 21 in the 1st concession. 

Township of Wiliiamsburgh, fronting the river St. 
Lawrence, is well settled by such loyalists who served 
during the first American war with the United States. 
Along the river the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th concessions, 
very few settlers ; 5th concession is well settled ; the 
6th, 7th, and 8th concessions, are partially settled ; 
the lands in this township are generally good ; the 
block, owned by the Company, in the latter concession, 
is good, and within 2 J miles of the Petite Nation in 
Winchester, and near Telaboch's saw- mill, in the 2nd 
concession, which is on a small stream which enters 
into the Nation, on lot No. 18; and when Mackel's 



128 TOPOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 

grist-mill is built on lot No. 18, in the 3rd conces- 
sion of Winchester, on the Nation, and Mr. Crysler's 
erist-mill is built on the Nation in Finch, whoever 
settles in that block will not suffer much incon- 
veniency in that respect. And a great inducement to 
purchasers to buy lands from the Company, where 
the Company have several lots together, is, that a 
compact settlement can be immediately formed, and 
the settlers assist each other, and will, by that means, 
sooner have the advantage of better roads. The local 
situation of this block is good, it being so very con- 
venient, and so near to the Petite Nation, and also 
within 9 miles of the St. Lawrence. I am of opinion 
that 12s. per acre would be reasonable for lands in 
this block. I have the honour to be. Sir, 

Your obedient Servant, 
Duncan M'Dowell, Greenfield. 



OTTAWA DISTRICT. 

The Ottawa District is exactly in the rear of 
the former, and having its north front on the Ottawa, 
is laid out into eleven townships, which are described 
to the Quarter Sessions as follows, beginning with 

Hawkesbury East, and Gore; the first west 
from the boundary line, and fronting the Ottawa. 
So27— rough, stony, and gravelly. Advantages. — 
Fronts on the Ottawa. 

Hawkesbury West, next to the above, and on 



UPPER CANADA. 129' 

the Ottawa. Soil, stony and gravelly. Advantages. — 
Well situated, and pretty well settled. 

Caledonia, in the rear of the above. Soil. — One. 
quarter of this township consists of good land ; the 
rest is low and marshy. Disadvantageously situated. 

Alfred, next higher up the Ottawa. Soil. — Poor ; 
alternate sand and clay. Advantages. — Fronts on 
the Ottawa. 

Plantagenet, still higher up, fronting the river. 
Soil. — Sandy, with some clayey land. Advantages. — 
Fronts on the Ottawa, and is well situated, having 
the river Petite Nation running through it. 

Clarence, next westward, on the Ottawa. — 
Soil. — Light, sandy. Advantages. — Fronts on the 
Ottawa river, and has 2 small mill- sites. 

Cambridge, a rear township behind Clarence^ 
Soil. — Very light, sandy. Advantages. — Very well 
watered. 

Cumberland, above Clarence, on the river. 
Soil. — Light or sandy. Advantages. — Well watered^ 
and has 2 saw-mills. 

RussEL, in the rear of the above. Soil. — Lights 
sandy. Advantages. — Well watered, and has good 
mill-sites. 

Gloucester, on the Ottawa, and next above 
Cumberland. Soil. — On the front of the Ottawa, 
river, and in the rear of the township, the land is 
clayey; on the front of the Rideau, the soil is 
gravelly. Advantages. This township has two 
fronts, one on the Ottawa, and one on the Rideau* 



130 TOPOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 

OsGOODE, in tlie rear of the above. Soil. — Rich, 
black, and gravelly. Advantages. — It fronts on the 
east side of the Rideau river. 

To the above we can append from the same source 
another. 



REPORT on the Townships in the Ottav^a Dis- 
trict, by Duncan M'Dowell, Esq., Deputy-Sur- 
veyor to the Canada Company, 

Glengarry^ 2\st September, 1827. 
Sir, 

The price of lands in the Ottawa district 
have been from 15s. to 20s. per acre, in townships 
tolerably well settled, and some lots have even been 
sold from 22s. 6d., to 25s. per acre, but these 
were choice lots, and in particular situations, possess- 
ing local advantages. Cash has always been in greater 
circulation in this district; the people, generally, 
are industrious and enterprising — they are a mixed 
population, composed of Americans, Scotch, Irish, 
and Canadians : the former shew the others a good 
example in clearing their lands ; the latter description 
of people, who, by their industry and perseverance,, 
get on as well as the Americans, are much more 
economical in their way of living, and lay up what 
the others would lay out in luxuries. The farmers in 
this district had always the advantage of a good 
market at their doors for every article of produce, 
ty the lumber-men, and those at work at the Gren» 



UPPER CANADA. 131 

ville Canal, on the other side of the Ottawa, oppo- 
site to Hawkesbury ; and the farmers here, generally, 
showed their prudence more than in some other parts 
of the country, by avoiding the lumber, and only 
sold their produce to those who were at work at 
it, generally double the Montreal price, at least. 
Although the lumber-trade ruined other parts of the 
country, it benefited the farmers of the Ottawa dis- 
trict, as it was generally people from other parts that 
carried on that business there, and had to depend 
upon inhabitants of this district for their supplies of 
provision and forage. 

Township of Hawkesbury, eastern division front- 
ing the Ottawa, is thinly settled along the front ; the 
north- east comer of it commences at the foot of the 
Long Sault rapids, which are 12 miles long. All the 
goods and stores brought to the settlements up the 
Ottawa, above the Long Sault, are carted up on each 
side of the river to the head of the rapids ; but this 
will soon be at an end by the completion of the 
Grenville Canal. There is a tolerable good road along 
the river, in front of this township ; the river Lagrass 
runs through the interior, back from the Ottawa : there 
are only three settlers, two of which are in the 3rd 
concession^ and one in the 7th concession ; in the 
3rd concession, there is a saw-mill ; with the exception 
of the front road, and a road which leads from 
Lochiel, through the south-east corner of East 
Hawkesbury, along the river Lagrass, to Lower 
Canada, there is no other. The lands are generally 

k2 



132 TOPOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 

good, as well as low and level ; a great portion of 
East Hawkesbury is owned by absentees ; the late 
Colonel Clause's family own 5000 acres, besides large 
grants to others: this is a circumstance which operates 
much against its settlement ; hardly any lands have 
been sold back from the Ottawa, excej)ting one lot, 
sold by Colonel Clause at 15s. per acre, who valued 
all the rest at 20s. per acre, and a lot sold by a man 
of the name of Falker, for 10s. per acre. The local 
situation of Hawkesbury is favourable, but from 
the great tracts of it owned by absentees, some of 
whom value their lands high, and will not contribute 
towards making of roads ; this circumstance will 
greatly discourage many individuals from settling in 
it, as they would for a long time have to labour under 
great difficulties, regarding roads, mills, &c. The 
oak and pine timber has almost entirely been taken 
away by lumber-men, before the Crown reserves were 
sold to the Company, some of the concession lines in 
East Hawkesbury have not been seen, and several of 
those now are hardly visible, and many of the corner- 
posts decayed, and destroyed by lumber-men, by 
which means a number of the Company's lots can- 
liot be ascertained. This circumstance alone pre- 
vents sale of lands ; a number of people went there in 
order to examine some of the Company's lots, but 
were obliged to return without being able to effect 
their purpose. Under all these circumstances, I 
think 10s. per acre a fair price for lands in East 
Hawkesbury, in the concessions back from the river. 



UPPER CANADA. ^33 



Township of Hawkesbury, western division -.—ex- 
cellent land, well settled, by an industrious class of 
people, Americans, Scotch, Irish, and Canadians: all 
seem to be trying to excel in industry, and learnmg 
from each other something before to them unknown. 
This township fronts the Ottawa ; the road from Corn- 
wall to Hawkesbury runs through from north to 
south, while the mail from Cornwall to it is brought 
once a week. There are several cross roads, cut 
across in different directions through it. This town- 
ship is remarkably well with respect to mills, dis- 
tilleries, shops, &c. ; besides the Ottawa, however, 
there is no stream of any consequence in it, except- 
mcr the one on which Mr. Mears's mill is, which 
enters the Ottawa on lot No. 12. The Crown re- 
serves have mostly been granted to emigrants from 
Scotland, under the superintendence of the Quarter- 
Master-General, and it is only the lots rejected by 
those people that now belong to the Company, 
^vhich lots are generally swampy; such lands, how- 
ever, the Canadians are fond of clearing, and make 
certain kinds of swamps the best for tillage. Lands 
have often been sold for from 15.. to 20.. per acre ; 
and some from 22.. 6rf., to 25.. per acre, paid by 
instalments. Mr. Wilkinson, of Cornwall sold 
several lots of 200 acres in this township to difterent 
persons, none less than 20.. per acre, and some from 
22s. 6d. to 25.. per acre, bearing interest until paid. 
The heirs of the late Colonel Archibald M'Dowell 
sold several lots for 20.. per acre. The late Mr. 



134 TOPOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 

Chisholm of Montreal, and several others, sold lands 
there, from 15s. to 20s. per acre. I am of opinion, 
that good lands in West Hawkesbury are worth 
generally from 17s. 6d. to 20s. per acre. 

Township of Caledonia, some of it good, a great 
portion of it swampy, thinly settled, badly off with 
respect to roads ; there is a road which crosses it, 
leading from Hawkesbury to the Petite Nation in 
Plantagenet ; there are no mills in it, and no streams 
of any consequence. Mr. Tradewell's seignory is in 
front of it; between it and the Ottawa, the extensive 
swamps in it is much against its settlement. The 
swamps in Caledonia are generally such lands as 
Canadians are partial to, and good for cultivation, 
when cleared in their way of clearing, and completely 
drained. This township has not been completed in 
survey, by which means a number of the Company's 
lots cannot be ascertained. I am of opinion, that 
from 9s. to 10s. per acre is a fair price for lands in 
it; almost all the oak and pine have been taken away 
by the lumber-men, before the Crown reserves were 
sold to the Company. 

Township of Alfred, fronting the Ottawa : the lands 
generally swampy, but good lands for Canadians, or 
such as they make good by their mode of clearing. 
There is a beech ridge in the centre of a light, sandy 
soil; the' first concession, fronting the Ottawa, has 
long since been granted to the New England loyalists, 
principally owned by absentees. A few squatters are 
settled along the Ottawa in front ; the only road in 



UPPER CANADA. 135 

this townsKip is the Chester road, which crosses it 
about the centre, and leads from Mr. Tradewell's 
seignory to Plantagenet, and Chesee's mills on the 
Nation, which road is only passable for cattle in. 
winter, but a great deal is intended to be done to it 
this summer, as there is money and labour subscribed 
for its improvement. There are no streams of any 
consequence in Alfred excepting Horn Creek, which 
empties into the Nation, and the creek called river 
Dezemacane, which enters the Ottawa above the 
north-east angle of Alfi-ed. I believe no sales of land 
have taken place in Alfred ; and excepting lots along 
the Ottawa, I think Irom 9s. to IO5. per acre a 
reasonable price ; the oak and pine fit for market 
•were taken away, before the Crown reserves were sold 
to the Company, by the lumber-men. Adam Curly, 
a squatter, occupies lots No. 1 and 2, in the 2nd con- 
cession fronting the Ottawa. 

Township of Plantagenet, fronting the Ottawa, 
tolerably well settled : a good deal of this township 
is light, sandy soil, and part of it swampy, but some 
good lands in it. There are several roads leading to 
this settlement ; the road from Cornwall to Cluny 
mills, and road leading from the rear of Hawkesbury, 
and the road leading from Mr. Tradewell's seignory, 
which passes through Alfred, and called the Chesee 
road, and several other roads betw^een the inhabitants ; 
but these roads are, without exception, bad, except in 
winter. On the Nation, Mr. Chesee has built excel- 
lent grist and saw mills, which benefit this greatly. 



136 TOPOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 

The local situation of Plantagenet is very favourable, 
the Ottawa in front, the Petite Nation running through 
it lengthways and crossways, besides Bear brook, 
Horn creek, and Scotch river. Bear brook runs 
through the interior of Cumberland and Clarence, and 
enters the Nation at the south-west corner of Planta- 
genet. Horn creek, which runs through Alfred, and 
enters the Nation at the eastern boundary, and Scotch 
Tiver, which runs through Plantagenet rear, and enters 
the Nation at the south-east angle of Plantagenet. 
On those streams timber is rafted down to the Nation 
in high- water. The Nation, with little interruption, is 
navigable for boats during the summer, and answers 
the purpose of a good road in winter : the two front 
concessions were granted at the formation of the settle- 
jment of this county ; the principal part of them are 
owned by absentees ; there are not any settlers along 
the Ottawa, excepting a few squatters ; lands have 
heen sold in this township from \0s. to 20.9. per 
^cre; Mr. Gesop sold a block of 400 acres, for 11*. 
Sd. per acre, cash down. Alexander Eraser, Esq., 
sold, two years ago, a block of lands (500 acres) for 
12s. 6d. per acre, payable by instalments, bearing 
interest ; and a year ago, a block of 500 acres for 
12s, 6d. cash down ; also sold another tract of 500 
acres for 12s. 6d. per acre, payable by instalments, 
bearing interest; and this year sold a block of 400 
acres for 20s. per acre ; and several others sold lands 
from 10s. to 15s. per acre. Lands are generally 
.valued in Plantagenet, in convenient situations, from 



UPPER CANADA. 137 

12s. 6d, to 205. per acre (that is to say good lands) ; 
almost all the oak and pine timber, fit for market, has 
been taken away by the lumber-men, before the Crown 
reserves were sold to the Company. I am of opinion 
that good lands in it, according to its situation, are 
worth from 10s. to 12s. per acre. 

Plantagenet rear : — the lands generally indifferent, 
great deal of spruce swamps, and rough, uneven (pine) 
lands, light, sandy soil, only one settler in it; the 
road from Cornwall to Plantagenet front passes 
through it ; no lands have been granted in this town- 
ship, except the surveyor's per centage, and 5000 
acres to the late Honourable William M'Gillivray, who 
built a saw-mill on his property on the Scotch river, 
which is the only stream of importance in it, on which 
limber is rafted, in high water, down to the Nation. 
No sale of lands has taken place in this township as 
yet ; almost all the oak and pine timber in it, fit for 
market, has been taken away by the lumber-men. 
I am of opinion, that from 7s. to 8s. per acre is a fair 
price for lands in Plantagenet rear. 

Township of Clarence, fronting the Ottawa ; 
the greater part of tolerably good land; there are a 
few settlers along the front on the banks of the 
Ottawa ; the concession fronting the Ottawa has 
been granted to the New England loyalists at the 
formation of this settlement : very few settlers have 
as yet settled back from the river. There are no 
roads in Clarence ; the inhabitants find the benefit 
of the navigation of the Ottawa, as a steam-boat 



138 TOPOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 

passes and repasses tlieir doors twice a week, and 
when the winter sets in, the river then serves as a 
good road. The transport up the river on the ice is 
immense. In Clarence there are no mills ; a fine 
stream called Bear brook runs across it towards the 
rear ; on this stream there are a number of mill- 
sites, and timber is rafted down Bear brook in high 
water ; and also serves as a good road in winter, for 
the lumber-men to bring them their supplies of pro- 
visions and forage. A great deal of the front of Cla- 
rence, the concession fronting the Ottawa, belongs to 
Mr. M'Kindly, who purchased from the New England 
loyalists ; he values his lands at 20^. per acre ; he 
has sold several lots for from 1 5s. to 205. per acre. 
From the circumstance of there being little or no settle- 
ment back from the Ottawa, and the greater part of 
the lands having fallen into the hands of such people 
as will take no pains in the settlement or improve- 
ment of the country in which their lands lie, and 
others who located their lands on condition of per- 
forming settlement duty, who, rather than comply 
with the conditions, sell their lands generally for a 
trifle to speculators, this will impede the settlement 
'of Clarence, and will of course operate against the 
sale of lands for what they are really worth. The local 
situation of this township is very favourable : I am 
of opinion that lands are worth from 9*. to 105. 
per acre. Almost all the oak and pine timber fit for 
market has been taken off the Crown reserves before 
they were sold to the Company. 



UPPER CANADA. 139 

Township of Cumberland, fronting the Ottawa: 
the greater part of the lands in it good ; some exten- 
sive swamps, but such swamps as Canadians reckon 
the best of land. There are but few settlers in 
Cumberland, and those principally along the river ; 
some are settled back in the interior. There are no 
roads in it, but the settlers who are near the river 
feel the less inconvenience, having so good a naviga- 
tion at their doors, and a steam-boat passing and 
repassing twice a week ; and when winter sets in, the 
Ottawa serves as a good road. There is a good saw- 
mill on lot No. 5, in the concession fronting the 
Ottawa : besides this river, there is a fine stream 
running through the interior, called Bear brook, on 
which there are several mill sites : timber is rafted 
down Bear brook in the spring, in high water, dowa 
to the Nation ; it also makes a good road in winter. 
A great portion of the front concession belongs to 
Mr. M'Kindly, who sold several lots for 205. per 
acre, and values the rest at the same price ; and the 
proprietors sold lands in this concession from 15s. to 
20s. per acre. Lots No. 1, 2, and 3, fronting the 
Ottawa, are good lots, and near the saw-mill, they 
are occupied by squatters. A great part of the lands, 
back from the Ottawa, have been granted to such 
persons as will not take any pains to contribute 
towards the improvement of that part of the country 
in which they live, and a number of those who located 
their lands on condition of performing settlement 
duty, rather than perform it, have sold their lands to 



140 TOPOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 

speculators for a trifle. The local situation of Cum- 
berland is extremely favourable ; the lands belong- 
ing to the Company in it, fronting the Ottawa, 
in my opinion are worth 205. per acre, and good 
lands back, from 9s. to ILs. per acre ; the oak and 
pine timber fit for market, the greater part of it has 
been taken away before. The Crown reserves were 
sold to the Canada Company. 

Township of Gloucester, fronting the Ottawa, also 
fronting the Rideau : — great deal of good land in it, 
and some extensive swamps, but such as Canadians 
are partial to, and make good lands of for cul- 
tivation; there are a number of settlers in the 1st 
concession fronting the Rideau, and two or three 
along the Ottawa. Besides the Ottawa and Rideau, 
there are several streams running through Gloucester 
— Green's creek runs through it from the interior, and 
enters the Ottawa ; and Bear brook, which runs across 
the south-east corner of it, enters the Nation in Plan- 
tagenet; and Belling's creek, which enters the 
Rideau ; on the latter creek there is a saw-mill. From 
Gloucester timber is rafted down in high water across 
Cumberland, and Clarence, and part of Plantagenet 
into the Nation. From Gloucester on the Rideau, 
there is a communication by land to the east of 
Johnstown and Bathurst districts, but the route to 
the former is a circuitous one. The local situation of 
Gloucester is very favourable, and possesses many 
advantages, having so good a navigation in front, 
on which a steam-boat plies twice a week. The 



UPPER CANADA. 141 

river Rideau being the western boundary, from north 
to south, on which there is so much money to be laid 
out on the improvements of its navigation ; and it 
being in the immediate vicinity of the very promising 
village of By-Town, at the head of the steam-boat 
navigation through which the canal will pass, and 
where there will be a military depot — the great circu- 
lation of money that will circulate by carrying on 
such pubHc works in its immediate neighbourhood, 
will make this a very promising township. 

In this township, the three concessions, fronting 
the Ottawa and Rideau, — on the latter of which 2 
saw-mills are erected — have been granted to the 
New England loyalists and their descendants. The 
Company's lots along -the Rideau are good and well 
situated, — Nos. 7, 13, 19, and 27 : the former is 
at a place called the Black rapids, where there will 
be a dam. across the Rideau, and locks for the canal, 
and the latter opposite to Long Island, where there 
will also be locks, and is in the immediate vicinity 
of a saw-mill. This is a place in my opinion calcu- 
lated for a village, being nearly at the head of Long 
Island rapids ; there is still deep water for nearly 
24 miles up the Rideau from the head of the rapids. 
The late Honourable Colonel Thomas Fraser sold 
several lots in Gloucester for 205, per acre, and his 
heirs sold lands there for the same price, but value 
the remainder higher. I am of opinion that good 
lands on the Rideau are worth 25s. per acre, and, 
back from the Rideau, are worth from 10s. to 12s. 



14'2 TOPOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 

66?. per acre; that is to say, good lands. Almost 
all the oak and pine timber fit for market has been 
taken off the Crown reserves before they were sold 
to the Company. 

'• Township of Cambridge : — generally light, sandy 
soil ; some large swamps, and some good lands in the 
south-east and south-western parts of it : there is not 
a settler in it, and of course no roads. The local situa- 
tion of this township is good: the Petite Nation 
runs through the greater part of it crossways, and a 
branch of it called the Castere river ; both those rivers, 
at the time of the year that the navigation closes, 
answer the purpose of good roads. Mr. Crysler's 
mills on the Nation in Finch, and Mr. Loucks's 
saw-mill in Russell, on the Castere, will afford great 
advantages to settlers that may settle in Cambridge. 
This township was granted to New England loyalists ; 
large grants were made in it to individuals. A family 
of the name of Ranken, who are now in the United 
States, own 5,000 acres, and the Kuylu family as 
much at least. Only every second concession line has 
been surveyed in Cambridge, and even those very 
diiEcult to trace, and a number of the corner-posts 
destroyed by lumber-men, who almost stripped it of 
all oak and pine on it fit for market, before the Crown 
reserves were sold to the Canada Company. I know 
of no sale of lands having taken place in Cambridge ; 
and I am of opinion that from 7s. 6d. to 10s. per 
acre is a fair price for lands in this township. 

Township of Russell : the lands generally indiffer- 



UPPER CANADA. 143 

ent, large swamps in it with white sandy bottom; 
there is only one settler in it, a Mr. Loucks, who 
tiiilt a mill on the Castere river : there are no roads in 
it; it is well watered by the Castere, which forms into 
several branches. This township has lately been 
located by emigrants from Scotland, and militia-men 
who served during the last war with the United 
States. Russell has almost been entirely stripped of all 
the oak and pme fit for market, by the lumber-men. 
I do not know of any sale of lands in this township, 
and I am of opinion that from 6s. to 7^. 6d. per acre 
is a fair price for lands in it. 

; Township of Osgoode, fronting the river Rideau : 
the lands are generally good ; three or four families 
moved into it last winter ; the three concessions next 
Rideau have been granted to the New England loyal- 
ists : the few settlers in it suffer much for want of roads, 
mills, &c. but Loucks' saw-mill will in winter be of 
some relief to them ; when the Castere which runs 
through Osgoode freezes, the settlers will be able to 
get boards from there. In this township I would 
jecommend to the Company to lay out a sum of money 
to assist in cutting a road across it from south Gower to 
the south-west corner of Gloucester on the Rideau ; 
and in my opinion the sum the Company would give 
should not be less than forty pounds. If that sum was 
well laid out, it would open a communication by land 
from the settlement of Gloucester through Osgoode 
to the eastern and Johnstown districts, greatly faci- 
litate the settlement of Osgoode, and bring the 



144 TOPOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 

Company's lands into immediate demand. Having the 
Rideau and canal in front, and a road through the 
interior, are circumstances which will greatly increase 
the value of lands in this township ; the local situation 
is very favourable ; the Castere river forms several 
branches in Osgoode, and runs through a great part 
of it. A great deal of oak and pine timber has been 
taken off the Crown reserves, before they were sold to 
the Canada Company ; and I am of opinion that some 
oak has been taken off the Company's lands there last 
winter. I do not know of any sale of lands in Os- 
goode, excepting good lands along the Rideau. I am 
of opinion that from lOs. to 13s. per acre is a reason- 
able price for lands in it. I enclose you herewith an 
offer from Matthew Taylor for 8s, per acre for lot 
No. 4 in the 1st concession of March. 

I have the honour to be, Sir, 

Your obedient Servant, 
Duncan M'Dowell, Greenfield, 



JOHNSTOWN DISTRICT. 

The Johnstown District, next above the Eastern, 
on the St. Lawrence, is laid out into eighteen town- 
ships, and the Inspectors describe them as follows :-^ 

Leeds. — Soil, indifferent ; advantage of a stream 
of water. 

Lansdown. — Soil, indifferent; indifferently situ- 
ated. 



UPPER CANADA. 145 

YoNGES. — Soilf good; advantageously situated. 

Elizabeth Town. — Soily good ; advantageously- 
situated. 

Augusta. — Soil, good ; advantageously situated. 

Edv^ardsburgh. — Soil, good ; advantageously si- 
tuated. 

North Gower. — Soil, good ; Advantages, mid- 
dling. 

South Gower. — Soil, good; Advantages, mid- 
dling. 

Oxford. — Soil, good ; advantageously situated. 

Marlborough. — Soil, good; advantageously si- 
tuated. 

WoLFORD. — Soil, good ; advantageously situated. 

Montague. — Soil, middling; advantageously si- 
tuated. 

Elmsley. — Soil, indifferent ; advantageously si- 
tuated. 

KiTLEY. — Soil, indifferent; Advantages, indif- 
ferent. 

Bastard.— So27, good ; advantageously situated. 

Burgess. — Soil, indifferent; Advantages, indif 
ferent. 

North Crosby. — Soil, good; Advantages, indif- 
ferent. 

South Crosby. — Soil, good ; Advantages, indif- 
ferent. 



146 TOPOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 



MIDLAND DISTRICT. 



The Midland District, next higher up the north 
side of the Ontario, and lying between the former 
and Newcastle, is more or less settled to a consider- 
able distance back, and there are laid out in it 28 
townships ; the first of which, above Johnstown dis- 
trict, and on the lake, is 

Pittsburgh, being the easternmost frontier town- 
ship in this district. — Soil, some very good land, but 
the greater part indifferent. Advantages, well situated 
on the waters of the St. Lawrence, with the Rideau 
canal passing through it. 

Kingston is the next higher up on the St. Law- 
rence. — Soil, generally good, but some parts rocky. 
Advantages, well situated on the waters of the St. 
Lawrence. 

Continuing to take, first, the frontier townships, 
the next higher up is 

Earnest Town, near the former on the frontier. — 
Soil, generally good. Advantages, well situated on 
the waters of the bay of Quinte. 

Fredericksburgh, also in front. — Soil, generally 
good. Advantages, well situated on the waters of the 
bay of Quinte. 

Adolphus Town, higher up. — Soil, generally 
good. Advantages, well situated on the waters of the 
bay of Quinte. 



UPPER CANADA. 147 

Richmond. — Soil, front five concessions generally 
good, the rear bad. Advantages ^ well situated on the 
Nappanee river. 

Marysburgh, next higher up, being peninsular 
land. — Soil, generally good, with the exception of 
some swamps. Advantages, well situated on the 
waters of the bay of Quinte, and lake Ontario. 

Hallowell, next west of Maryburgh, on the 
frontier of the lake. — Soil, generally good. Advan^ 
tages, well situated on the bay of Quinte, partly. 

Sophiasburgh, next westerly from Hallowell, and 
having the Ontario in front. — Soil, generally good, 
with the exception of some swamps. Advantages^ 
well situated on the waters of the bay of Quinte. 

HiLLiER, higher up the lake than the former. — 
Soilj generally good, with the exception of some 
swamps. Advantages, well situated on the waters of 
lake Ontario. 

Ameliasburgh, above Hillier, and the western- 
most frontier township of this district. — Soil, gene- 
rally good, with the exception of some swamps. Ad- 
nsantages, well situated on the waters of the bay of 
Quinte. 

Loughborough, the first easterly township behind 
Pittsburgh. — SozZ, better than Portland; second range 
of townships. 

Portland, next higher, in the rear of Kingston. — 
Soil, middling, containing swamps and lakes ; second 
range of townships. 

L 2 



148 TOPOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 

Camden East, in the rear of Kingston and Rich- 
jnond. — Soil, generally good. AdvantageSy second 
range of townships, situated on the Nappanee river. 

Tyendinaga, west from the above, and fronting 
the bay of Quinte. — Soil, generally poor. Disad' 
vantages y not well situated. 

Thurlow, next higher, west, and also fronting the 
bay. — Soil, generally good. Advantages, well situated 
on the waters of the bay of Quint6. 

Sidney, the most westerly in the district on this 
range. — Soil, generally good. Advantages, well si- 
tuated on the waters of the bay of Quinte. 

Bedford, the most easterly of its range, and behind 
Loughborough. — Soil, not very good ; third range 
of townships. 

HiNCHiNBROOK, iiext proceeding westward, and 
behind Portland. — Soil, not very good ; third range 
of townships. 

Sheffield, next to the west, and behind Camden. 
— Soil, not very good ; third range of townships. 

HuNGERFORD, wcst of Sheffield, and behind Rich- 
mond. — Soil, generally reputed bad ; second range 
of townships. 

Rawdon, behind Sidney. — Soil, front six con- 
cessions generally good, rear part bad. Advantages, 
Marmora road runs through the township; second 
range o townships. 

Marmora. — Soily not very good ; third range of 
townships. 



UPPER CANADA. 14^ 

Lake. — Soil^ and value unknown. 
Madox. — Soz7, generally good ; third range of 
townships. 

Elzevir. — Soily bad; third range of townships. 
Kaladar. — Soil^ bad ; third range of townships. 
Kenebec. — Soil, bad ; third range of townships. 
Palmerston. — Soil, and situation unknown. 



150 



CENTRAL SECTION. 

The central part of the upper province is divided 
at present into two large districts, and embraces that 
extensive tract of country lying west of the Midland 
district, to an extent of 120 miles of frontage along 
the Ontario, and reaching back northwards all the 
way to the Ottawa, the French river, and lake 
Huron on the northern boundary of this province. 
This section is distinguished as containing the metro- 
politan town of Upper Canada, namely York, which 
we shall have occasion to notice when we come to 
speak of the Home District, as also for its numerous 
and extensive lakes in the interior, as may be 
observed by inspecting the map. To speak first of 



THE NEWCASTLE DISTRICT. 

Lying west of the midland district before noticed, 
and well watered by the Rice, Balsam, Trout, and 
other lakes in the interior, as well as by the Otan- 
abee river, part of the Trent, &c. It was on certain 
townships in this district, that the celebrated coloni- 
zing experiments in 1823 and 1825, under the con- 
duct of Mr. Peter Robinson, were made, as re- 
ferred to in the second document here given. 

Twenty-eight townships have aheady been sur- 



UPPER CANADA. 151 

veyed along the frontier for several ranges, and we 
give in the first place the report of them, made to the 
provincial Magistrates in Quarter Sessions : vh. — 

Darlington. — Soil, generally good ; taken up 
by absentees, lying on lake Ontario. 

Clarke. — So?7, generally good, taken up by ab- 
sentees, lying on lake Ontario. 

Hope. — Soil, generally good. Advantages, well 
watered, contains a village with good mills. The ad- 
joining townships are well settled. It lies on lake 
Ontario. 

Hamilton. — Soil, nearly one half of tliis township 
is bad land, the rest good. Advantages, centre of the 
district, a country-town, a village, good mills, well 
watered, and lies on lake Ontario. 

Haldimand. — Soil, more than half bad land. Ad- 
vantages, well watered, but no good flour-mills ; lies 
on lake Ontario. 

Cramahe. — Soil, more than half bad land. Ad- 
vantages, well watered, but no good flour-mills ; lies 
on lake Ontario. 

Murray. — Soil, generally good. Advantages, lies 
on lake Ontario, and head of bay of Quinte. River 
Trent in the rear ; few mill advantages. 

Seymour. — Soil, good. Advantages, second range 
of townships from lake Ontario, the river Trent runs 
through it, with great mill advantages, not settled. 

Percy. — Soil, good ; few mill advantages ; second 
range of townships ; partly settled. 



152 TOPOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 

Alnwick.— So?7, bad ; rear township on Rice lake ; 
not settled. 

MoNAGHAN. — Soil, generally good. Advantages^ 
thinly settled ; navigable waters on the east side. 

Asphodel. — Soil, generally good. Advantages, 
north of Rice lake and river Trent ; well watered ; 
tolerably well settled. 

Otanabee. — Soil, generally good. Advantages, 
north of Rice lake ; well watered ; tolerably well 
settled. 

Cavan. — Soil, good. Advantages, well settled ; 
well watered, with mill advantages. 

Manvers. — Soil, very bad. Disadvantages, not 
settled ; large grants ; not well watered. 

Cartwright. — Soil, better ; not settled in large 
grants ; better watered. 

Maripoda. — Soil, generally good. Advantages, 
not settled, but well watered. 

Smith. — Soil, generally good. Advantages, great 
water. 

Fenelon. — Soil, little known. Disadvantages, 
very remote ; not settled. 

Ops. — Soil, good. Advantages, not settled, but 
well watered. 

Emily. — Soil, generally good. Advantages, well 
settled ; well watered. 

Verulam. — Soil, not very good. Advantages, 
well watered, but not settled ; remote. 

Harvey. — Soil, not good. Disadvantages, not 
well watered ; not settled ; remote. 



UPPER CANADA. 153 

Burleigh. — Soil, not good. Disadvantages, not 
well watered, not settled, remote. 

DouRo. — Soil, good. Advantages, well watered, 
but thinly settled. 

DuMMER. — Soil, not very good. Disadvantages^ 
badly watered ; not settled ; remote. 

Methven. — Soil, bad. Disadvantages, cut up 
with lakes and rivers ; rocky ; remote. 

Belmont. — Soil, not very good. Advantages, 
well watered, near the iron works, not settled. 

To this brief report, we are enabled to add the 
follor/ing interesting detail, also from the original 
minutes taken in December 1827. 



MINUTES. Inspection of the Newcastle Dis- 
trict made by Mr. John Smith, Junr., Deputy 
pro Surveyor, at the request of Mr. Galt. 

On entering the Newcastle district the traveller can- 
not but be surprised, that the only mode of crossing 
the river Trent is by a scow in summer, and on the 
ice in winter, which, at certain seasons, is not without 
danger. A regular ferry is kept here, which pays 
the nominal rent of lOl. currency to the Provincial 
Government ; the tolls are at the rate of threepence- 
halfpenny for every foot passenger, and eightpence 
for man and horse. Notwithstanding the great pro- 
portion of passage is taken by the steam-boats, the 
tolls at the ferry, for the season, amount to upwards 



154 TOPOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 

©f 150?. currency. As the travelling in the four 
winter, at least equals that of the eight summer, 
months, were a bridge erected and a moderate toll 
imposed, the proceeds would not only meet the 
interest, but soon repay the principal; after wliich 
they might be applied to the improvement of the 
road (Dundas Street), which for ten miles to the 
westward is in a bad state. The only objection I 
have heard urged against a bridge is, that the ice 
floating down with the spring floods would endanger 
it. I am assured, however, by old residents, that 
the ice banks before it reaches the mouth of the 
river, and that it does not drift off into the bay of 
Quinte, but honeycombs and sinks. A tolerable 
road, on the line of which the land is generally 
inferior, skirts the bay of Quinte from the Trent to 
the Carrying Place, about five miles distant ; at this 
point it branches to the westward until it join Dundas 
Street, and eastward into the county of Prince 
Edward. At the Carrying Place the steam-boats are 
met by the York stage. 

At the first settlement of the country, the only 
mode of communication to the settlements above, 
was by boats which crossed from the head of the 
bay of Quinte, by this portage (about 1 mile) to the 
lake Ontario, and thence coasted its shores ; hence 
the name of the Carrying Place. The portage is 
laid out on either side in building lots. On the lake 
side, flat rock is met with, while on the side next the 
bay of Quinte is a high sand- bank which extends 



UPPER CANADA. 155 

some distance to the westward. On either hand 
the land differs materially, and to the west is very 
low and swampy. At one point the waters of lake 
Ontario and the bay are separated only by two 
miles of low wet land. It would appear that, at 
some period, there has been an open communication. 
There is a small village at the Carrying Place, with 
an Episcopal church, at which, for some years, a 
resident missionary has officiated. In this neigh- 
bourhood the Canada Company holds no lands, 
unless at Presqu'ile bay, which have been already 
inspected. 

Proceeded direct to Cobourg, and thence to Peter- 
borough, by the route of the Rice lake. 

The situation of Cobourg is healthy and pleasant. 
It stands immediately on the shore of lake Ontario, 
on lots 16 and 17 in concession B of Hamilton. In 
1812 it had only one house ; it now contains upwards 
of 40 houses, an Episcopal church, a Methodist 
ehapel, 2 good inns, 4 stores, several distilleries, 
an extensive grist-mill, and the population may be 
estimated at about 350 souls. The trade of Cobourg 
is increasing rapidly, more through the spirit and 
enterprise of its merchants, than its natural advan- 
tages. In alluding to its deficiency in the latter 
respect, the want of a harbour, and the break in its 
communication with the back country, caused by the 
Rice lake, are particularly meant. It is, however, 
to be observed, that the formation of a harbour is 
now proposed, as will be seen by the accompanying 



156 TOPOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 

minutes, and that the Rice lake, by means of the 
extensive streams which pour into it, along which 
settlements are forming, promises to become the 
channel of a great addition to its inland trade. 

The following has been mentioned to me as the 
present state of the trade of Cobourg, viz, : — 



IMPORTS. 
200 tons of Merchandize. 
600 barrels of Salt. 
250 do. bulk of Foreign 
Goods, &c. 



EXPORTS. 
5000 barrels of Flour. 
500 do. Pork. 
150 do. Potash. 
200 do. Sundries, such 
as Lard, Beef, Butter, 
Whiskey, &c. 

The adjoining townships are of a fertile soil. An 
excellent road leads from Cobourg through the centre 
of the township of Hamilton to the Rice lake. A 
large sum (1 believe 600/. currency), borrowed from 
the bank of Upper Canada, on the responsibility of 
the magistrate of the division, has been judiciously 
expended on this road, in the course of the summer. 
It is expected that the amount of taxes in absentee 
lands, which is to be levied next year, will meet the 
expenditure. On both sides of the road the Canada 
Company hold lands, in general of a good soil ; those 
nearest to Cobourg being the most eligible for im- 
mediate sale. It is now proposed to open a branch 
road from this to meet the Cavan road near the 
head of the Rice lake. The line selected will serve 
those lots belonging to the Company which lie in 
the 6th and 7th concessions of Hamilton, from the 
20th lot westward. 



UPPER CANADA. 157 

The soil of Hamilton is generally a sandy loam. 
On the western part of the township it is clayey. 
"Very extensive ridges horder the Rice lake, which 
jfrom their being bare of timber, are called the Rice 
Lake Plains. The soil is a mixture of sand and 
clay, in various proportions, according to the eleva- 
tion: on the high-lands sand prevails, and vice 
versa. The whole is, in general, capable of cultiva- 
tion ; but, from a want of wood and water, it is said, 
would answer best for sheep-walks. In most parts 
the plough could at once be used. The large grants, 
held by absentees in Hamilton, have prevented the 
settlements extending beyond the fourth concession, 
excepting on the western boundary, and a few on 
the Rice lake. 

The following sale has come to my knowledge, 
viz. : — 

Edward ElHs and Co., of London, by their Agents 
Forsyth and Richardson, of Montreal, to David Sidey. 
No. 16 in 5 con. Hamilton, 200 acres at ]5«. per 
acre; 25Z. down, and the rest in 5 annual instalments, 
with interest. The sale was made in the course of 
the summer; the lot is good, and on the Cobourg 
Toad. 

The township of Monaghan and Otanabee, which 
are divided by the Otanabee river, form the northern 
shores of the Rice lake. Otanabee, though it has 
an excellent soil in general (loam upon clay), 
has been but very partially settled. This is mainly 
to be attributed to its distance from, and difficulty of 



158 TOPOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 

access to market. These objections are now removed ; 
the roads on all sides being improved, and grist and 
saw mills built in the township (lot 13 on 6th con- 
cession), as also at Peterborough. From the Co- 
bourg road a ferry is established across the Rice 
lake, whence a road runs from Banister's Landing, 
northerly, mitil it branches on 13th lot between 10th 
and 11th concessions ; eastward, through a settlement 
to the mills, and thence to Asphodel ; and, northerly, 
with scattering settlements on the line to Peterboro*. 
There are numerous swamps in the township, and 
sandy plains skirt the Rice lake shore. The settlers 
in Otanabee are chiefly from the lowlands ; the rest 
are highlanders and a few English. The road 
through Otanabee to Peterborough is improving. 

The town-plot of Peterborough is in the north- 
east angle of the township of Monaghan. It is laid 
out in half acres, the streets nearly at right angles 
with the river ; park lots of nine acres each are re- 
served near the town. The patent fee on each is 8^ 
provincial currency, and office fees and agency will 
increase it 15s. or 20s. more. 

The settlement commenced in 1825, at which time 
it formed the depot of the emigration under the Hon. 
P. Robinson. The situation is most favourable, being 
on an elevated sandy plain, watered by a fine creek, 
which discharges into the river below the town. 
The country round is fertile, and there is great water- 
power on the town-plot, on which mills are now being 
built by the government. These mills are on an ex- 



UPPER CANADA. 159 

tensive scale, being calculated to pack 40 barrels of 
flour ; and the saw-mill to cut 3(K)0 feet of boards 
per diem. 

A very substantial frame bridge has been thrown 
across the Otanabee river at this place. There are 
now upwards of twenty buildings in Peterborough, in- 
cluding one store, which does an extensive business, 
and another now being built. There is a medical 
practitioner, and two clergymen resident here (Epis- 
copalian and Roman Catholic), and a school, to which 
the government allows a liberal aid. 

The township of Smith is a peninsula formed by 
the Mud or shallow lakes v^hich divide it from Ennis- 
more and Harvey, and the Otanabee river, which 
separates it from Douro. The soil is a loam ; in the 
north-east angle it is rocky. The settlement was 
commenced, about nine years ago, by a small body of 
Cumberland miners, who were located by govern- 
ment on either side of the Indian portage, from the 
Otanabee river to Mud lake. This is about seven 
miles over, and the road is tolerably good. To these 
emigrants, on depositing a sum of money, I believe, 
in the proportion of 10/. to each head of a family, a 
free passage was afforded ; the money was returned 
when their settlement had been completed. 

These settlers are now independent farmers, al- 
though at first several had their own exertions alone 
to depend upon. 

The principle of a deposit, in all cases where aid is 
given to emigrants, is well worthy consideration. It 



160 TOPOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 

is a guarantee for their good intentions, a guard 
against a fickle disposition, and a reserved fund in 
the time of need for the emigrant. Since the period 
spoken of, many emigrants from the north of Ireland, 
and more lately from the south, have settled in Smith. 
It is in general vi^ell settled to the 7th concession, 
and on Mud lake to the 11th concession. Canada 
Company lands, within this range, are the most eligi- 
ble for immediate sale. Several families, under the 
superintendence of Mr. Robinson, have been located 
as far back as the r2th and 13th concessions. 
The lakes and other waters, bordering on Smith, 
abound with the maskinonjee and bass, and Clear 
lake, (between Douro and Smith,) with salmon 
trout to the weight of 30ib. and 401b. The canal, 
which has been spoken of between the bay of Quintfe 
and lake Simcoe, it is supposed will cross the penin- 
sula near the base. Several of the miners informed 
me, that being in search of a salt-spring, they had 
discovered on the 27th, in 10th concession. Smith, 
C. C, a spring, which in smell and taste, resembled 
that of Gollsland. 

The townships of Douro, Emily, and Ennismore, or 
the Gore of Emily, have for the most part been settled 
by the emigrants of 1825. 

The soil of Douro is calcareous ; there are large 
swamps scattered through the township ; the best lands 
are at a distance from the waters^ and particularly on 
the eastern boundary ; and the most eligible lots for 
sale, are those approximating to Peterborough. Mr. 



UPPER CANADA. 161 

Robinson's emigrants are located on the front third 
of the township ; the rest has been located by militia- 
men chiefly, scarce one of whom has performed the 
settlement duties required. The lands will, of course, 
revert to the crown, and as the localities are daily im- 
proving, will no doubt be speedily settled. The set- 
tlers are exerting themselves in opening roads. 

The township of Dummer, which lies to the east- 
ward of Douro, resembles it in soil. The front is 
generally good, the rear rocky. There is no settle- 
ment in this township as yet ; the most eligible lots 
for immediate sale are those on the front. A large 
creek called the Squaw-kone-gaw, takes its rise in a 
small lake within fifty or sixty rods of a bay of the 
large lake on the Otanabee river. They are separated 
by a rocky ridge, at the highest not more than six or 
seven feet above the level of either lake, and as the 
rocks rise abruptly on either side, a ravine is formed, 
down which part of the waters of the Otanabee find 
a passage in the spring flood. Were it at any time 
to become an object (for the sake of mills, &c.), by- 
throwing a dam across the Otanabee river, at 25th in 
4th concession of Douro, a certain supply of water 
might be at all times diverted down the Squaw-kone- 
gaw ; and this again might be regulated by a sluice- 
dam on the ravine, which it is believed is on 30th lot 
in 6th concession, Dummer, C. C. 

This very extraordinary connexion of waters, is met 
with in other parts of the province. I would instance 

M 



162 TOPOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 

the Salmon rivers and the Moira, which leave the 
same lake in Sheffield ; and the Gananoqui and Cata- 
raqui creeks, which flow from the same lakes on the 
line of the Rideau canal. 

The township of Ennismore, or Gore of Emily, is 
generally of an excellent soil, loam upon clay. A 
large proportion is taken up by reserves and surveyor's 
land, the remainder by emigrants of 1825, chiefly from 
Kerry, and who are doing well. The nearest mills 
are at Peterborough. 

Emily is settled, through a few of the first conces- 
sions, by emigrants from the north of Ireland, thence 
to the rear by those of 1825. The roads are yet new 
but improving ; in the latest settlements but partially 
opened. The soil is generally good, sandy loams in 
the hills, on the flats and in the valleys clayey loam ; 
the township is for the most part level, and has nume- 
rous swamps, especially towards the rear, and on the 
line of Pigeon creek, which traverses the township. 
Beaver meadows are frequent in this, and are also 
met with in the other townships in this range : they 
are very serviceable to the new settler. There are 
two good saw-mill sites in this township ; one reserved 
by government on south half 18th and 19th in 8th con- 
cession; a second on 6th in 10th concession. A small 
grist-mill is being built on 19th in 4th concession. It 
is probable, however, that excepting for the home use 
of settlers, the produce will be generally taken to 
Peterborough, from the excellent mills there and other 



UPPER CANADA. 163 

conveniences. To that place a road lias been opened, 
and the magistrates of Hamilton having lately granted 
30^. to aid the inhabitants, it will soon be improved. 
By the hne of Pigeon creek, the settlers in Emily 
may pass by water to Mud lake, within seven or eight 
miles (by a good road) of Peterborough, and by this 
route many of Mr. Robinson's emigrants, and their 
provisions, were conveyed. 

There is such an advantageous line of water com- 
munication in that direction, that the whole produce 
of the back country may be expected to pass by Pe- 
terborough ; hence all lands in the situation relatively 
favourable may be considered the most valuable. 
Ops is one of the finest townships in this part of the 
country ; the soil is loam upon clay ; it is, in general, 
level: the north-east angle of the township has ex- 
tensive swamps. The Scugog river, a very fine 
stream, navigable for boats, traverses the township, 
by means of which settlers may proceed to Mud lake, 
with only one portage of one quarter mile, at what is 
called the Pau-boo-kaije-wenum rapid. At one place 
in the township the river is very rapid, and having a 
descent of from twelve to fourteen feet, would afford 
an excellent mill site. In a southern direction, by 
the Scugog lake, from which the river issues, water 
communication may be had in spring and fall through 
the townships of Cartwright and Reach, within seven- 
teen or eighteen miles of the Big Bay, in Whitby, 
on lake Ontario. The township was actually sur- 

M 2 



164 TOPOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 

veyecl in 1S25, and thrown open for location on the 
principle of actual settlement. Many locations were 
made, but it is to be feared that from the want of 
roads and mills, the conditions of settlement will, in 
very few instances, be performed. There has been 
much said against the system of demanding fees on 
grants of land in tliis province, which would have 
never found utterance had a proportion been ex- 
pended in opening roads, building mills, &c. Such 
improvements would ensure a more speedy and satis- 
factory settlement than any penal conditions annexed 
to grants of land. 

A waggon road has been opened for about nine 
years from Port Hope, following the boundary line 
between Hope and Hamilton, Cavan and Monaghan, 
to Emily and Smith. The line of road is broken by- 
ridges and swamps, at which places much labour will 
be required to make it good. It is at all times passable. 

Cavan was first settled in 1817. At this time 
scarce a lot remains unlocated (except reserves); 
the soil is generally good, sandy loam upon the 
west ; on the east inclined to clay ; in the front rather 
light. Those lots next Monaghan are the most 
eligible for immediate sale. The township is well 
watered, and possesses numerous sites for saw-mills. 
There is already built, and at work, 1 grist and saw- 
mill on E. j 12th in 4th con. ; 1 grist mill on 10th in 
4th con. ; and another on 14th in 9th con. There are 
5 stores and 2 distilleries in the township. The mills 



UPPER CANADA. 165 

are used for the home consumption only, the surplus 
wheat being sent to market at Port Hope. The 
majority of the inhabitants of Cavan are from the 
north of Ireland, the remainder English, and from 
the south of Ireland. The first, it is believed, are 
Presbyterians, but attend the Episcopal service in the 
absence of a clergyman of their own. 

The Episcopal church stands on 12th in 10th con. ;. 
a missionary has been resident from the first settle- 
ment of the township. There are six schools scat- 
tered through the township, with from twenty-five to 
forty scholars each. The clearings are large and in 
good order ; frame barns are numerous, but the dwel- 
lings are yet of logs. 

Monaghan was settled at the same time as Cavan, 
chiefly by English. The soil is loam upon clay. 
The township is generally well settled, with the ex- 
ception of some large grants on the 13th con., and on 
the Rice lake. It is well watered, but without mill 
sites, except at Peterborough. In this, as in all the 
adjoining townships, the timber for the most part 
remains uninjured ; the roads are yet new, but the 
inhabitants are making exertions to improve them. 
There are two families in this township whose exer- 
tions and success deserve mention. Both came out 
with limited means about eight years since. 

The Rutherfords, from Jedburgh in Scotland, had, 
in 1826, about fifty head of horned cattle, besides 
grain and meadow land. 



166 TOPOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 



Smitlison, from Yorkshire, raises, upon the 



average, sixty acres of wheat every year. 

JOHN SMITH, JuN. 
Dep. Pro. Surveyor. 
CoBOURG, 14th Dec. 1827. 



THE HOME DISTRICT, 

Like the last, to which it lies westward, and stretches 
up along the southern banks of the eastern limb of 
lake Huron, is chiefly known on its frontier near the 
Ontario, and round lake Simcoe, which, with the 
streams that flow into it, well waters it m the interior. 
Much of this tract is settled by the Dutch, who are 
exceedingly industrious, and congregate chiefly about 
the township of Markham, which, says Mr. Talbot, 
was when he wrote the most improved part of tlfe 
district. The new townships of the home district, 
says the same writer, are almost wholly peopled by 
Enghsh, Scotch and Irish ; and the old ones, which 
are those along the shores of the Ontario, by Ame- 
ricans. 

The rivers in this district abound with fish, more 
than most others, particularly salmon, which are 
spawned in the river Credit, and transmitted to every 
part of the western country. The lands on the shores 
of the Ontario, are said by Mr. Talbot to be of bad 



UPPER CANADA. 167 

quality, but improve inwards, particularly round the 
Siracoe lake, and the climate in winter was, when that 
author wrote, considered unusually severe near the 
latter lake. This district contains, however, the seat 
of the provincial government, which, as a town, will 
require, for the sake of the emigrant traveller, some 
general description. 

York is well situated on the north side of an 
excellent harbour on the lake, in latitude 43° 33' 
north, and longitude 79° 20' west. It contains the 
public buildings of the province, viz. : — the house of 
assembly where the provincial parliament generally 
holds its sittings, the government house, the provincial 
bank, a college, a court-house, a hall for the law- 
society, a gaol, an episcopal church, a Scots kirk, a 
Baptist chapel, a garrison near the town with barracks 
for the troops usually stationed here, and a battery 
which protects the entrance of the harbour. Kegu- 
*larly laid out under survey as usual, the streets of 
this town are spacious, the houses mostly built of 
wood, but many of them of brick and stone, and the 
population amounts now to between four and five 
thousand. ' Being the residence of the chief officers 
of government both civil and military,' says Bou- 
chette, ' many of the conveniences and comforts of 
pohshed life are to be met with. Several newspapers 
are there printed weekly.' 

' The lands of the adjacent townships for several 
miles round,' continues the surveyor-general, ' are in 



168 TOPOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 

a high state of cultivation, so that the market of the 
town is always well supplied. Immediately in the 
rear of the town is a very good road, called Yonge- 
street, that leads to Gwilliamburg, a small village 32 
miles to the northward, and thence 5 miles more to 
Cook's bay, from which by lake Simcoe there is a 
communication to lake Huron. This being a route 
of much importance was greatly improved by the 
North-west Company, for the double purpose of short- 
ening the distance to the upper lakes, and avoiding 
any contact with the American frontiers. The land 
on each side of it for a considerable depth is very 
fertile, and many settlements are already formed, 
where some of the farms are in a good state of culti- 
vation.' There are also several other roads diverging 
from this metropolitan town, particularly one along 
the borders of the Ontario on the frontier, running 
through villages called Bellville, and Coburg to Port 
Hope, a small town in Newcastle district, and thence 
passing on to Kingston at the lower end of the lake. 
The front of all the townships between these towns, 
that is, all along the lake, are, with few exceptions, 
well settled ; and the whole of this central section, 
including the neighbouring district of Newcastle, 
contained, of inhabitants, in 1828, 36,264 souls, 
being 10,363 more than it had in 1824, and making 
an increase in the course of four years of 40 per cent, 
upon its population. 

In the reports of townships obtained at the desire of 



UPPER CANADA. 169 

the corporations, the home district seems to have 
been omitted, but we are further enabled by Mr. Gait 
to give the following, which apply as well to this as 
the more western districts, viz. — 

Remarks on the quality^ probable value, situation^ 
and advantages attending the lands generally to 
the westward of York, by Mr. Patrick Strange. 

All the respective townships commencing at Detroit^ 
from thence running in front on lake Erie through 
the western, London, and Niagara districts, I have 
visited as far as fort Erie, or at least Black Rock. I 
found the inhabitants in the western section to be 
composed of Americans generally ; there are many 
French Canadians settled in the vicinity of Detroit, 
who possess excellent farms. There are great im- 
provements on the front townships on the river St. 
Clair, opposite the American shore ; the settlers gene- 
rally are composed of a mass of all sorts, and many 
have taken possession of lands without any authority, 
particularly those who cannot be countenanced bv 
our government as being not even aliens in this colony, 
but traitors to both the United States and this country. 
They are composed of Scotch and Irish emigrants 
who resided in the States during the late war, and are 
living from hand to mouth in small huts, enjoying 
merely what they can raise from their toil and labour 
on the land they possess. 

All along through Talbot's settlement, so called. 



170 TOPOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 

there are settled various descriptions of persons, 
through whose active industry, and the colonel's strict 
attention and ambition to settle the lands under his 
control, they have worked wonders in way of settle- 
ment; but still their circumstances are contracted 
other than that of their lands, and indeed in conse- 
quence of the want of markets to vend their produce, 
and the extraordinary charges imposed on them for 
such merchandise as they require in barter for their 
produce ; they, in consequence, are selling off their 
well-settled farms for a trifle, and purchasing in other 
parts of the colony more convenient to markets. 
There are no reserves, either crown or clergy, on the 
concession north and south of Talbot-street, from the 
commencement to the ending thereof; there are some 
leases made for reserves in the front townships al- 
luded to, but very few in any of the rear townships. 

The townships of Burford, Oxford, Dorchester, 
Westminster, Delewarr, Lobo, Caradoc, London, 
Nissouri, Zora, and all other townships in the second 
and third range in the district of London, are in- 
creasing in value and population. The township of 
Norwich is also situated in the second range, generally 
inhabited by Quakers and other industrious settlers, 
many of whom have come in from the United States 
since the late war, and are lessees on crown and 
clergy reserves. The townships of Lobo, London, 
Nissouri and Zora, in my opinion, border on the un- 
surveyed lands which I understand are purchased by 



UPPER CANADA. I7l 

the Canada Company ; and if the lands so purchased 
are of equal quality with the surveyed lands in ques- 
tion, they are not inferior to any description of land 
in Upper Canada, being well watered, well wooded, 
and the soil of the most luxuriant quality. 

In coming to a review of the district of Gore, I 
find that the chief of the reserved land is laid out in 
blocks adjoining east and west Flamboro', Eramossa, 
and Nichol. I have crossed the township of Nassi- 
guaya and Eramossa to the crown block in question, 
andfound the country in rapid progression throughout, 
and the price of land enhancing daily, as the old 
settlers in the district of Niagara and other places are 
selling off their old improved farms, and are now 
purchasing in these once remote townships. 

The townships of Erin, Garafraxa, Mono, Adjala, 
Esquesing and the new survey of Trafalgar. I have 
visited all these townships, have the reservations of 
crown and clergy lands regularly classed out, and will 
command sale in a short time, as the population therein 
is wonderfully augmenting. The old survey of Nelson 
and Trafalgar and other old townships, such as east 
and west Flamboro', Beverly Glanford, Binbrook, &c. 
&c. &c., should be subject to the reservation regularly 
classed also ; but I have reason to believe that they 
are chiefly disposed of by lease or promise, and 
consequently do not come under the disposal of the 
Company. 

The townships of Ettibocoke- Toronto — the Gore 



172 TOPOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 

of Toronto, Chinguicoucy, Caledon, Albion, Tecum- 
seth, Gvvilliamburg AVest, King, Vaughan, and West- 
York — are all subject to the usual reservation of 
Crown-land ; but the chief of such lands therein, as 
are worth any considerable value, are leased, or other- 
wise disposed of: though, in my humble opinion, 
there is not one out of ten occupying these lands, or 
who pays either rents or taxes thereon, but have got 
their names merely inserted on the plans and books 
of office for a trifle, merely for tlie purpose of 
destroying and taking away to the Quebec market 
the stave-timber growing thereon, without any inter- 
luption of Government whatsoever. The district of 
Niagara, being the first settlement in the colony 
allotted to military claimants, New England loyalists, 
and other persons, having adhered to the unity of the 
empire during the old revolution, and being so 
granted to that description of people, by Land 
Board certificates, prior to the establishment of a 
regular councilin the colony, the usual reservation 
of Crown and Clergy lands was, in consequence, 
unknown ; and, until this day, I am solely at a loss 
to be acquainted with the lands, if any, set apart 
for such reservations in that district, but am confident 
that a number of blocks of land have been reserved 
as glehe lands, all of which have been disposed of by 
Government, by licenses of occupation, and are 
valuable. The land in tliis district is in great esti- 
mation by many, as being well settled and contiguous 



UPPER CANADA. 173 

to markets ; but should I possess all the uncultivated 
lands in the district of Gore, and have a means of 
keeping them back from being disposed of for ten 
years, I would be sorry to barter acre for acre with 
that of the Niagara land now in a state of cultivation, 
as, in my estimation, the land is more durable, the 
settlement more progressive, the waters for machinery 
more prevalent, and the natural resources likely to 
follow from enterprise and industry, are such as 
materially augments its value, very particularly the 
intended establishment of the Canada Land Com- 
pany. 

The more remote class of townships, surrounding 
lake St. Clair, the Bear Creek, and those generally 
surveyed by contractors, on certain per centage, in 
the western country, are lessened much in value, in 
consequence of the remarkably low price which land 
therein has been offered for sale by those concerned 
in such contracts. In fact, I have known lots of 
200 acres, sold by such characters, in the remote 
townships, for a barrel of pork each, and frequently 
for Is. to Is. 3d. per acre, in way of trade. 

Should I be furnished with a scale, from your office, 
of the land returned to the Company, I could, of 
course, give my opinion to you of the probable value 
thereof, particularly if I can be made acquainted with 
the mode or regulation of payment which may be 
required, and the description of persons to whom the 
land in question is most likely to be sold. I do, 



174 TOPOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 

therefore, take the liberty of ieavmg tlie subjoined 
blanks for an opportunity for you to insert such 
townships, or specific lots therein, as you may deem 
proper, leaving the probable value to my estimation, 
which you may rest assured I shall willingly and 
cheerfully render you my unfeigned concurrence in 
every respect, as far as lies in my power. I shall, if 
you think proper, draught a rough sketch of the 
eastern division of the colony, as far as I have a 
knowledge, as soon as possible, — it is for the home 
district reserves, which are chiefly situate in the town- 
ships of north and east Gwilhamburg, Georgiana, 
Erock-Reach, Scott, Uxbridge, Pickering, Whitby, 
Darhngton, with a few in Scarborough, Markham, 
Whitchurch, and Vaughan ; the value thereof is to 
be proportioned to the respective places wherein the 
land may be situated. The townships of King, and 
the old survey of West Gwilliamburg, are valuable and 
worthy of notice. The remote townships in the 
county of Simcoe are still unsettled, and, conse- 
quently, no price can be properly apportioned to 
their value at present. I believe there are no Crown 
reserves in the township of York returned to the 
Company ; and I am at a loss to know if the Com- 
pany has purchased such Crown reserved lands as are 
laid aside in the rear of Westminster, the township 
of Howard, the township of Blanford, Seymore, and 
other school reservations throughout the province, 
the Gore of Toronto, and the Mohawk woods' reser- 



UPPER CANADA. 175 

vation in the Bay of Quintey, which has been oifered 
for sale, some time since, for public purposes : all the 
reservations in these townships are valuable, and, in 
my opinion, should be returned to the Canadian 
Company in the general schedule, if not already 
done. 

I remain, with great respect, sir. 

Your obedient humble servant, 

Patrick Strange. 



176 TOPOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 



THE WESTERN SECTION, 

Or division, of the upper province, embraces, in 
general, all that tract of country lying between the 
head of the lake Ontario to the east, and the eastern 
side of lake Huron to the west, part of the Home dis- 
trict and the Indian territory to the north, and lake 
Erie to the south, situated between the parallels of 
42° and 45° 30' north latitude. The extreme length 
of this tract, north and south, namely, along the whole 
eastern shores of lakes Huron and St. Clair, with the 
rivers that connect them with lake Erie, is 216 miles, 
and its breadth east and west, at its widest part, is 
about ]95 miles. It is chiefly settled about the 
head of the Ontario, and along the north shore of 
lake Erie ; and its population, in 1828, is given at 
64,157. 

The salubrity and comparative mildness of the 
climate, with the general fertility of the soil of this 
large tract, are well known. Its surface is uniformly 
nearly level, excepting a few solitary eminences, and 
a sort of ridge of land which rounds the head of the 
Ontario a little inland, and traverses the Niagara 
district, as before mentioned. This ridge, however, 
if it deserves the name, does not in general exceed 
an altitude of 100 feet, although at some points it 
rises to above 300 ; and the whole tract presents, in 
general, to the eye vast forests of a great variety of 



UPPER CANADA. 177 

lofty trees, upon level, and sometimes swampy land. 

* In the heart of these dense woods, and on the 
borders of rivers,' says Bouchette, * extensive plains 
suddenly present themselves, that lay open to view a 
beautiful area of natural meadow, often expanding 
several thousand acres in extent, and delightfully 
relieved by occasional clumps of lofty pine, white 
oak, and poplar, agreeably clustered in the various 
vistas of the plain.' 

Before we descend to the particulars of the soils 
of the townships with which we are furnished, we 
quote a few general remarks from the same authority. 

* The variety of soils, and the diversity of their com- 
binations, observable in these four districts/ adds the 
surveyor- general, ' are by no means so great as 
might be expected in so extended a region. The 
whole tract is alluvial in its formation, and chiefly 
consists of a stratum of black, and sometimes yellow 
loam ; above which is deposited, when in a state of 
nature, a deep and rich vegetable mould, the sub- 
stratum, beneath the bed of loam, being generally a 
tenacious gray or blue clay, which in some parts 
appears at the surface, and, intermixed with sand, 
constitutes the super- soil. This species, and a sandy 
loam, highly fertile in its properties, are of more 
frequent occurrence in proceeding from the western 
district eastward, and appear to predominate in the 
districts of Gore and Niagara. The almost total 
absence of stones or gravel within the greatest arable 

N 



178 TOPOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 

depth, is a peculiar feature of the generality of lands 
in the upper province, which has been felt as a 
serious inconvenience by the inhabitants in the pro- 
gress of their rural improvements, whatever may be 
its probable advantage as facilitating some of the 
operations of husbandry. There are, however, nu- 
merous and extensive quarries of limestone to be 
found in most of the townships of these districts, that 
supply the farmers with excellent materials for build- 
ing ; the price of the quarried limestone fluctuating 
from bs. to 15s. the toise. Freestone is also found, 
but in small quantities, and generally along the shores 
of the lakes*.' 

This section of the province is divided into four 
districts, namely, the Gore, the Niagara, the London, 
and the Western. The whole is well-watered by five 
considerable rivers and their numerous branches, 
namely, the Thames, the Ouse, the Welland or Chip- 
pewa, the Big Bear, and the Maitland. To begin 
with the first of these districts, namely, 

THE GORE DISTRICT, 

Lying at the southern head of the Ontario, and 
between the York and Niagara districts ; the London 
district, and the Indian territory, lying on its rear 
towards the west. Much of this tract belongs to 

* Vol. i. p. 92. 



UPPER CANADA. 179 

the Canada Company, who have built nearly in its 
centre the town of Guelph, upon a small river called 
the Speed, a remote branch of the Ouse or Grand 
River. This important and rapidly rising town, 
which is likely to become the capital of the district, 
was founded by Mr. Gait, for the Company, on St. 
George's day, 1827, and already contains between 
100 and 200 houses, several shops, a handsome 
market-house near the centre, a school-house, a 
printing-office, and 700 or 800 inhabitants. There 
are also several taverns and a very neat hotel with a 
ball-room ; a large grist-mill and saw-mill ; 2 dis- 
tilleries ; 3 places of worship : — the Roman Catholic 
church of St. Patrick has a steeple. The great curi- 
osity, however, of this place was, for it is now fading, 
the approach, an avenue of 7 miles in length, about 
150 feet wide, with a wall of stupendous trees on each 
side. — An American lad on first turning into it from 
the dark forest, exclaimed, * What an almighty place 1* 
In the neighbouring township of Dumfries, belong- 
ing to the Honourable Mr. Dixon, is the town of Gait, 
founded by that gentleman, some years before the 
Canada Company was thought of. It is about 18 
miles from Guelph ; it was named in compliment to 
the gentleman of that name ; who since, by his en- 
larged views and enlightened plans, still followed in a 
degree by his successors, has so materially contributed 
to the prosperity of these new settlements, and to the 
late success of the Company. Though this town is as 
yet but in its infancy, and will always probably be 

n2 



180 TOPOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 

secondary to Guelph, * its situation,' says Mr. Bou- 
chette, ' is peculiarly eligible, and cannot fail to 
attract many settlers of respectability and capital.' 

Several other villages are already raised on this 
district, particularly along its chief road, or mail rout, 
from York near the lake, to the Niagara district; 
such as Ancaster, Grimsby, St. Catharine's and Dun- 
das. The last of these is well situated for a frontier 
town, lying at the bottom of Burlington bay, and 
the utmost head of the lake Ontario, but, as well as 
the others, is yet small. Ancaster in the township of 
that name, and situated also as well as numerous 
good settlements on this mail rout, which is well 
known by the name of Dundas Street, — contains 
nearly 400 inhabitants, a church, &c., and its situa- 
tion is described as being very eligible, and the 
country round most picturesque and agreeable. 
The whole of this district is subdivided into fifteen" 
townships, whose respective advantages, or disad- 
vantages, are briefly described by the Corporation 
inspectors as follows : — 

Trafalgar. — Soil, clay and loam. Advantages^ 
this township fronts lake Ontario, mill-streams, and 
highways, &c. 

Equesing. — Soil, principally sand, clay in some 
parts. Disadvantages, lying i^ rear of Trafalgar, 
and want of highways, mills, &c. 

Erin. — Soil, principally black sand. Disadvan^ 
tages, lying in rear of Equesing; want of roads, 
mills, &c. 



UPPER CANADA. 181 

Garrafraxa. — Soil, black sand. Disadvantages^ 
similar to Erin. 

Eramosa. — Soil, black sand. Disadvantages ^ sim- 
ilar to Garafraxa. 

Nassagiijveya. — Soil, black sand. Disadvantages^ 
similar to Eramosa. 

Nelson. — Soil, clay and sand. Advantages, front- 
ing on the lake similar to Trafalgar. 

Flamboro' East. — Soil, clay and sand. Ad- 
vantages, fronting on lake Ontario and Burlington 
bay. 

Flamboro' West. — Soil, clay and sand. Ad- 
vantages, fronts on Dundas Street and Coote*s Para- 
dise ; mills, highways, &c. 

Beverley. — Soil, clay and sand. Disadvantages, 
want of mills, roads, &c. 

- Ancaster. — Soil, principally sand, clay in places. 
Advantages, highways, mills, &c. 

Barton. — Soil, clay and sand. Advantages^ 
fronting Burlington bay ; roads, mills, &c. 

Glanford. — Soil, principally clay, sand in places. 
Disadvantages, lying in rear of Barton; want of 
roads, &c. 

Binbrook. — Soil, clay. Disadvantages, lying in 
rear of Saltfleet ; want of roads, mills, &c. 

Saltfleet. — Soil, clay and sand. Advantages, 
fronting lake Ontario, highways, mills, &c. 



182 TOPOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 



THE NIAGARA DISTRICT 

Is situated next to the above, and for an inland 
tract enjoys one of the most favourable geographical 
positions that can well be conceived. Forming in 
shape nearly an oblong square, it lies between the 
ends of the two great navigable lakes, with the 
Niagara junction river and its celebrated falls on 
its eastern frontier ; the Ouse, or Grand river, tra- 
versing great part of it, and a splendid canal passing 
through it, forming a commercial junction between 
the lakes. Lying also on the American frontier by 
the Niagara, and opposite to the head of the great 
Erie canal, which here begins an uninterrupted water 
communication with New York itself, the commercial 
importance of this tract must in progress of time, and 
with the gradual settlement of the upper province, 
greatly and rapidly increase. Besides the towns 
and villages already built on this fertile district, it 
has immediately opposite to it, on the east side of the 
Niagara, the thriving villages ,of Buffalo and Black 
Rock, with Lewestown and Yongstown farther down 
near the Ontario. 

Fort George, or Niagara, on the shore of the lake, 
and at the mouth of the river of the same name, hav- 
ing an excellent harbour, and being the seaport, as it 
may be called, for this side of the country, exhibits, 



UPPER CANADA. 183 

in general, the bustle and gaiety of the frequent 
arrivals and departures of steam-boats, sloops, and 
other vessels. These vessels are constantly passing 
from and to every part of the lake and the St. Law- 
rence, as low down as Prescott. Being directly on 
the frontier, this town is liable to depredation or 
hostility in the event of war, and, accordingly, in 
1813, when in a flourishing condition, was by the 
American troops under General M'Clure, barbarously 
burnt to the ground. Notwithstanding this disaster, 
however, it has gradually been rebuilt, and now con- 
tains about 1500 inhabitants. It is protected by a 
fort, garrisoned by a strong detachment of mihtary, 
whose presence contributes greatly to the cheerful- 
ness of the place. Neat houses, numerous shops, 
several respectable taverns, and two weekly news- 
papers, published here, with a market held once a 
week, for the accommodation of the neighbouring 
farmers, sufficiently attest its present importance and 
prosperity. 

Seven miles south of the above, and at the foot of 
the romantic heights of the same name, which have 
become famous in Canadian history, as the scene of 
a battle wherein General Brock fell, is the village 
of Queenstown, pleasantly situated on the Niagara, 
and opposite to the American village of Lewiston. 
The monument built to the memory of the gallant 
general and his companions, on the loftiest part 
of these heights, forms a prominent object to the 
numerous voyageurs, who are constantly arriving at 



184 TOPOGHAPHICAL SKETCHES. 

this portage, in elegantly fitted up steam-boats, from 
York and Kingston, to view tlie neighbouring falls of 
the Niagara. The village contains a church, a court- 
house, large government stores, and a population of 
between 400 and 500 inhabitants. 

Four miles west of Queenstown, is the village of 
St. David, on a small stream called Four-mile creek, 
and on both sides of the Welland river at its mouth, 
and ten miles from Queenstown, is Chippewa, con- 
taining barracks, a small fort, and about 200 
inhabitants. At the head of the Niagara river, on 
the same main road, and 16 miles distant from 
Chippewa, is Fort Erie, a small village with its fort 
situated on a rising ground, opposite the American 
vilWes of Black Rock and Buffalo. Other villages 
and hamlets occupy this district with various degrees 
of promise, particularly the brook at the head of the 
Welland canal. But we pass on to the inspection 
descriptions of the townships, of which there are 15 
as follows. 

Grimsby. — Soil, clay and yellow loam. Advan- 
tages, fronts on lake Ontario, and the front all 
settled ; a small village at the Forty Mile Creek, with 
two grist-mills, and three saw-mills. The southern 
part has the Twenty Mile Creek running through a 
small part of it, where there are mills and a small 
village. Disadvantages, most of the unsettled lands 
wet, and a great deal of swamp. 

Caistor. — Soil, principally hard clay. The Chip- 
pewa Creek, or Welland, runs through it. Disadvan- 



UPPER CANADA. 185 

tages, badly watered -, a great deal of bad land ; flat, 
wet, and swampy ; thinly settled, and far back. 

Clinton. — Soily clay, yellow and black loam. 
Advantages, fronts on lake Ontario, has several saw- 
mills, and one grist-mill. Disadvantages, badly 
watered ; deficient in mill-streams. 

Gainsborough. — Soil, principally clay. Advan- 
tages, fronts on Chippewa Creek ; Twenty Mile 
Creek runs through a part of it : has two grist and 
five saw mills. Z)m<iy««^a^es, badly watered between 
the Chippewa and Twenty Mile Creeks; the land 
wet and swampy, with some marsh. 

Louth. — Soil, clay and yellow loam. Advantages, 
fronts on lake Ontario, Twenty Mile Creek runs 
through it ; falls of the Twenty Mile Creek afford 
valuable situations for mills; has two grist-mills 
and five saw-mills, and contains a considerable quan- 
tity of pine timber. Disadvantages, a deficiency of 
water in dry seasons. 

Pelham. — Soil, sand, yellow loam and clay. Ad- 
vantages, fronts on the Chippewa ; is well watered 
with springs, has one durable mill-stream, with two 
grist-mills, one fulling-mill, and three saw-mills. 
Disadvantages, a part of the land much broken with 
short hills, and some of it light and sandy. 

Grantham. — Soil, clay, black and yellow loam. 
Advantages, fronts on lake Ontario, AVelland Canal 
and Twelve Mile Creek pass through it ; has three 
grist-mills, four saw-mills, one fulling-mill, one 
carding-machine, salt works and a flourishing village. 



186 TOPOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 

St. Catherine's. Disadvantages, a great deficiency 
of water in dry seasons, except what is afforded by 
the Twelve Mile Creek. 

Thorold. — 5^027, strong clay. Advantages, fronts 
on the Chippewa ; is well settled, and the Welland 
Canal winds through it. Disadvantages, under none 
in particular. 

Niagara. — Soil, sand, clay, and yellow and black 
loam. Advantages, fronts on lake Ontario and the 
Niagara river ; navigable for ships to the extremity 
of the township. The county town Queenston and St. 
David's, head quarters of the military, has one steam- 
mill, one wind-mill, four grist water-mills, and two 
saw-mills. Disadvantages, want of water for hy- 
draulic purposes. 

Stamford. — Soil, clay, sand, and yellow loam. 
Advantages, bounded by the Niagara river and Chip- 
pewa Creek. The falls of Niagara afford valuable 
sites for mills, and are a great resort for strangers 
during the summer months. Disadvantages, under 
none in particular. 

WiLLOUGHBY. — Soil, hard clay in general. Ad^ 
vantages, none but being situated on the Niagara 
river and Chippewa Creek, and contiguous to a good 
market. Disadvantages, low, flat, and cold soil ; in 
general badly watered ; the water of a bad quality, 
and pure water cannot be got by digging. 

Crowland. — Soil, hard clay generally. Being 
situated on the Chippewa, and Lyon's Creek running 
through it ; the latter affording one mill-site, on which 



UPPER CANADA. 187 

a grist-mill is erected. Disadvantages, a great defi- 
ciency of water except what the Chippewa affords, 
pure water not to be got by digging, except in the 
upper part of the township. 

Bertie. — SoU, clay, black loam and limestone. 
Advantages, fronts on the Niagara river and lake 
Erie. The roads generally good throughout the 
townships ; is well settled and advantageously situated 
for market. Disadvantages, want of water for hy- 
draulic purposes. 

HuMBERSTONE. — Soil, clay and black mould. Ad^ 
vantages, bounded on lake Erie, and the dry parts of 
the township well settled. Disadvantages, a great 
part of the township is Tamerack and Cranberry 
marsh ; the land generally low and flat, the front of 
the township thinly settled, and no mill-streams. 

Wainfleet. — Soil, clay, and yellow loam. Ad' 
vantages, bounded by lake Erie and Chippewa Creek ; 
the Welland Canal laid out to pass through it. Dis- 
advantages, a great part Cranberry marsh, and a 
want of mill-streams. 



LONDON DISTRICT. 

That large tract of country westward of the districts 
of which we have just spoken, and stretcliing north 
and south from the north shore of lake Erie, inland 
until it meets the Huron lake at its southern end, 
and merging in that extensive tract along its shores. 



188 TOPOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 

marked in the map as the Indian territory, joins the 
Home district at its western side, and is known by 
the name of the London district. 

It takes this name from a town having been 
founded at an eligible point within its southern 
quarter, called London, upon the meeting branches of 
a considerable river called also the Thames ; which, 
taking its rise pretty far inland and running through 
a part of the district, falls ultimately into the small 
lake St. Clair, in the Western district. Besides pos- 
sessing so much water frontier, this district has the 
advantage of several other important rivers passing 
through it, as part of the Ouse or grand river on lake 
Erie, the rivers Aux Sables and Maitland on the 
Huron. 

It is in this district, namely, on the shore of lake 
Erie, that the celebrated settlement of Colonel Talbot 
is situated, and exactly about the centre of the lake 
east and west. Since 1802, when the eccentric 
Colonel commenced his operations, the progress that 
he has made in settling the frontier near him, and in 
making roads and clearing land, is truly astonishing, 
when it is considered that he and those he brought 
with him found this interesting portion of the upper 
province a perfect wilderness. Roads are now made 
from Port Talbot on every side, not only joining the 
great road called Dundas Street to the east, and run- 
ning westward along the shore of the lake to the 
Detroit river, but penetrating northward considerably 
throusfh the internal forest. 



UPPER CANADA. 189 

On or near the Erie frontier, are first the small 
village of Dover in fi-ont of the township of Wood- 
house ; ten miles farther westward, on the lake, is ano- 
ther village, called Charlotteville, in which ironworks 
are established, which are plentifully supplied with ore 
from the neighbourhood, and five miles north, on the 
common post road, is another village called Vittoria. 
Besides these and the large towns about to be noticed, 
there is an Indian village called the Delaware, si- 
tuated on the Thames, about 35 miles from its mouth, 
with a settlement of Moravians near or beside it, 
whose known industry and good conduct is evinced 
here, as well by the thriving corn-fields in the vicinity 
of the settlement, as by the number and proper de- 
meanour of the Indian converts they have made, in 
the village over which they exercise a missionary 
superintendence. 

The two projected towns of most consideration in 
this district, however, are London, on the Thames, 
farther inland, and Goderich, recently founded by the 
Canada Company on lake Huron. London is yet 
but inconsiderable, but from its position in the heart 
of a fertile country, is likely to become of some im- 
portance hereafter when these extensive wilds become ' 
more settled. But Goderich, situated at the mouth of 
a considerable river, the Maitland, and on the borders 
of a vast inland sea, which has a remote commu- 
nication with the Atlantic itself, and having a deep 
and well protected harbour, is quite likely, from the 
rapidity with which settlements are making around it. 



190 TOPOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 

to become shortly a place of no small commercial 
importance. 

The town is most judiciously planned upon the 
elevated shores of the lake, with which and the trans- 
parent waters of the Maitland it is surrounded on 
three sides. Its streets near the centre diverge like 
radii from an octagon-shaped market-place ; and 
above the lake is a lighthouse, and from each end of 
the planned town, already containing upwards of 300 
inhabitants, roads are in progress to the inner towns 
and settlements of this rising colony. But the most 
recent description of the whole neighbourhood, and 
the advantages it seems to possess for settlement, is 
given by the Canada Company, as follows : — 

' A considerable number of enterprising colonists, 
and among them many possessed of capital, have sold 
their old cultivated farms and settled near Goderich, 
where there is a grist-mill, saw-mill, brick-kiln, 
tavern, &c. ; a considerable quantity of land has re- 
cently been taken up by them, at from 7s. 6d. to 10s. 
per acre : with this party are several old American 
settlers, who have been fifteen and twenty years in the 
province, and well qualified to judge of the advan- 
tages of the situation. The harbour, the only one on 
the Canadian side of the lake, is capable of containing 
vessels of the burthen of 200 tons ; and it has been 
established as a port of entry, which will insure to 
the inhabitants a great share of the trade with the 
upper countries, and their opposite neighbours in the 
new settlements in the United States. 



UPPER CANADA. 191 

The scenery on the river Maitland has been de- 
scribed as more hke English than any other in 
America. There is abundance of brick-earth and 
potters' clay in every direction round the town. 

The establishments at Goderich have been formed 
by the Company, principally to afford facilities, en- 
couragement, and protection to settlers, who may be 
disposed to purchase and improve the adjoining 
lands. 

Roads are now completed, as marked out in the 
map, one from Goderich to the town of London, where 
it joins the Talbot road, and connects the Huron 
tract with Port Talbot, and another from Goderich 
to Wilmot, connecting these settlements with York 
and the various towns on lake Erie. Cattle and 
provisions can be obtained in abundance by these 
routes, or the still more easy water communication 
between Goderich and the old well-cultivated settle- 
ments of Sandwich, Amherstburgh, and Detroit. 

For the making of roads and towards the improve- 
ment of water-communications, ther building of 
churches, school-houses, bridges, wharfs, and other 
works, for the benefit and accommodation of the 
public, the Company have engaged to expend a sum 
of ^48,000 in the Huron tract ; all such works and 
improvements to be approved of and sanctioned by 
the local authorities. 

With respect to the soil in the Huron tract, it is 
only necessary to quote the words of the Surveyor : — 
* the quality of the soil through the whole, is such, 



192 TOPOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 

that I have not seen its equal in the province ; the 
soil is generally composed of a deep, rich, black 
loam, and thinly timbered.' 

In addition to the above general notice of this 
tract, the following is the description given of its sur- 
veyed townships by the Corporation Inspectors. 

Rain HAM. — Soil, generally clay, rich and fertile ; 
well timbered. Advantages, bounding on the front 
lake Erie, and affords advantages of navigation. 
Stoney Creek runs through it, with some mill sites. 

Walpole. — Soil, the rear part generally clay, the 
front rich and fertile. Advantages, bomiding on the 
front lake Erie, and affords advantages of naviga- 
tion. St. Gus and Nautikoke Creeks run through 
it, with some mill sites ; well timbered — some pine. 

WooDHousE. — Soil, the west part sandy loam ; 
the east rich loam, inclining to clay. Advantages, 
bounded on the front by lake Erie, and affords ad- 
vantages of navigation ; well watered and good tim- 
ber, with several mill sites; Patterson and Black 
Creeks running through it. Good roads in the set- 
tlement. 

Charlotteville. — Soil, the front generally sandy 
loam, and some light clay ; the rear light sandy soil. 
Advantages, bounding on the front, lake Erie af- 
fords advantages of navigation; well watered with 
creeks and springs, abounding with bog ore of the 
best quality ; much plains, and not well timbered ; 
big creek running through part of it. 



UPPER CANADA. 193 

Walsingham. — Soil, the front ricli loam, the rear 
hungry sand. Advantages, bounding on the front 
Lake Erie, affords advantages of navigation, and well 
timbered, with mill-sites ; the rear, most generally, 
poor pine. Big Creek runs through the west part 
of it. 

TowNSEND. — Soil, sandy loam. Advantages, well 
watered, and well timbered ; the west part generally 
oak, and the east mostly good pine ; some mill-sites. 
Nautikoke runs through part of it. 

Windham. — Soil, sandy ; some parts loamy. Dis- 
advantages, several swamps ; not well timbered in 
some part ; principally pine, not good for building ; 
but better timbered in the west part of it. 

MiDDLETON. — Soil, sandy. Advantages, several 
swamps, but affords good pine, and good iron ore. 
Big Creek runs through it. 

Oakland, — Soil, sandy loam. Disadvantages, 
not well watered, or well timbered ; principally white 
oak, of small growth. Advantage, good roads. 

BuRFORD. — Soil, the east part sandy loam; the 
west rich loam. Advantages, the west part well 
watered, with good timber; the east well watered, 
not well timbered. Some poor pine. 

Blenheim. — Soil, loamy. Advantages, well 
watered, and generally well timbered with oak and 
pine. 

Blandford. — Soil, loam and clay. Advantages^ 
well timbered. Inland. 

ZoRRA. — Soil, loamy. Advantages, well watered 

o 



194 TOPOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 

and well timbered ; good maple, beech, and oak. 
Inland. 

NissouRi. — Soil, ricli loam. Advantages, well 
watered, and well timbered. Inland. 

London. — Soil, rich loam. Advantages, well 
watered and well timbered ; bounding on front the 
Thames. Inland. 

Westminster. — Soil, rich and loamy ; well tim- 
bered ; much good maple, beech, and oak. Some 
part bounded on the river Thames. Inland. 

Dorchester, North. — Soil, loam. Advantages, 
well watered, and well timbered with pine. Inland. 

Dorchester, South. — Soil, sandy. Advantages, 
swampy, and timbered in the front with scrubby pine. 
Inland, 

Dereham. — Soil, loam and clay. Advantages, 
well timbered ; Otter Creek running through it, with 
mill-sites. Inland. 

Norwich. — Soil, rich loam. Advantages, well 
timbered ; Big Creek running through it ; some mill- 
sites. Inland. 

Oxford, East. — Soil, loam and clay. Advantagesy 
well timbered. Inland. 

Oxford, West. — Soil, loam and clay. Advan- 
tages, well watered and timbered. Inland. 

Oxford, North. — Soil, loam and clay. Advaji' 
iages, well timbered. Inland. 

Houghton. — Soil, sandy loam. Advantages, 
bounding on the front Lake Erie, affords advantages 
of navigation ; well timbered and well watered. 



UPPER CANADA. 195 

Bayham. — Soil^ loam, and some clay in part of it. 
Advantages, bounded on the front by Lake Erie, 
affords advantages of navigation ; the Otter Creeks 
run through it ; well timbered with good pine. 

Malahide. — .So//, loam and clay. Advantages^ 
bounded on the front by Lake Erie ; affords advan- 
tages of navigation ; well watered and well timbered. 

Yarmouth. — 8oil^ sandy loam, rich and fertile. 
Advantages^ bounded on the front by Lake Erie, 
affords advantages of navigation ; is well watered and 
well timbered ; good oak. 

SouTHWOLD. — Soil^ loamy. Advantages, bounded 
on the front by Lake Erie, affords advantages of na- 
vigation ; well timbered ; Kettle Creek running 
through part of it. 

Delaware. — Soil, loam and clay ; rich flats. 
Advantages, the River Thames bordering on the west 
side ; some part well timbered with oak. 

LoBO. — Soil, loam and clay in the front. Advan- 
tages, the River Thames borders the east side ; well 
timbered in the front concessions, oak and maple ; 
well watered with small streams. 

Caradoc. — Soil, loamy. Advantages, the River 
Tliames on the east side ; well timbered with oak. 

Ekfrid. — Soil, loamy. Advantages, the River 
Thames borders on the east side ; is well timbered 
with maple and oak. 

MosA. — Soil, loam and clay. Advantages, the 
River Thames borders on the east side ; is well tim- 
bered with maple and oak. 

o2 



196 TOPOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 

Aldborough. — Soil, loam and clay. Advan- 
tages, bounded on the south by Lake Erie, and north 
by the River Thames ; affords many advantages of 
navigation, and is well timbered. 

DuNWiCH. — Soil, loam and clay. Advantages, 
bounded on the front by Lake Erie ; affords advan- 
tages of navigation, and is well timbered. 



THE WESTERN DISTRICT 

Is that peninsular tongue of land, that commencing 
on an imaginary line stretching from the lower limb 
of the Huron inland, to Lake Erie, a little eastward 
of Point aux Pins, includes all the land westward 
along the remaining coast of the latter lake — along 
the eastern shores of the Detroit, the small lake St 
Clair, the river St. Clair, and a part of the southern 
shore of Lake Huron. 

Besides these frontier waters, the principal rivers 
in this tract are the lower part of the Thames, and the 
Big Bear rivers ; both of which rise in the neigh- 
bouring district of London, and winding through 
several townships, fall into the Lake St. Clair, at no 
great distance from each other. The former of these, 
and the larger of the two, is navigable for vessels of 
some size, as far up as the small town of Chatham, 
fifteen miles from its mouth, and for common boats 
inwards to London, in the next district. A bar of 



UPPER CANADA. 197 

sand crossing the entrance to this river from the 
lake, will be some obstacle to its navigation, at least 
until means shall be fomicl to evade or surmount it. 

The chief town in this district is Amherstburgh, on 
the east bank of the Detroit, about three miles above 
its confluence with Lake Erie. This beautifully si- 
tuated and somewhat wealthy town, having been 
founded a considerable time back, when the French 
had possession of this part of America, and being a 
frontier post and a military depot during the war, its 
inhabitants discover more of the refinements of good 
society than is in general to be found in any other 
place west of the Lower Province. The town has a 
safe and convenient harbour ; its situation is de- 
scribed as being highly picturesque, amidst a fine 
fruit-bearing country ; it contains nearly 200 houses, 
a church, court-house, and gaol, many good shops, 
and a population exceeding 1200 souls. 

Fourteen miles higher up the Detroit, and facing 
the American village of the same name, is another 
town called Sandwich, containing about 150 houses; 
also a church, court-house, and gaol. Besides, also, 
the village of Chatham on the Thames before men- 
tioned, there are some others partly formed in dif- 
ferent parts of the district ; and the early settlements 
having been made by the French, the lands along the 
Detroit, &c., are generally laid out in narrow elon- 
gated slips, very much in the manner of the seig- 
norial concessions of Lower Canada, while the man- 
ners of the people partake much of the character 



198 TOPOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 

of tlie better sort of Canadians of tlie Lower Pro- 
vince. 

Of the particular townships laid out in this district 
we have no report of the Corporation Inspectors, as 
of most others ; but this is, in a great measure, sup- 
plied by the following 

Agricultural Report of the Western District, 
procured by Mr. Gait from Mr. William Elliott^ 
and addressed by the latter to Bishop McDonald, 
of Upper Canada. 

' My Lord, * Sandwich, 17 July, 1827. 

' Your Lordship having expressed a wish to 
obtain information as to the soil, climate, and advan- 
tages that emigrants would meet with in this district, 
I have, from a desire to interest your lordship in the 
welfare of this part of the Province, one half at least 
of whose population are of your Lordship's Church, 
taken the liberty of troubling you with some obser- 
vations on the subject. As hemp and tobacco must, 
at some future day, be the staple commodities raised 
here, they are first for consideration : the soil is ge- 
nerally a rich black loam on a clay bottom, well 
adapted for the cultivation of either. I cannot at 
present, witli correctness, state the quantity of hemp 
that an acre will produce, although, until 1812, it was 
raised in large quantities on the river Thames, and 
in the Lake settlement, and sold for ^62. 105. 
per ton. Since the war, the want of a home market 
and the expense of preparing it for a foreign one. 



UPPER CANADA. 199 

have since prevented its being cultivated : had we 
machinery to save this expense, the cultivation of it 
would well repay the farmer. Flax grows equally 
well, but has never been raised to an extent beyond 
the family demand. Six years past tobacco was first 
sent in bulk to the Montreal market, — the quantity 
about 7001bs. ; since that time it has greatly increased 
in quantity, and this season 500hhds. have been shipped 
weighing from 1000 to 1100 each: the average sale 
last year was 4jd. per pound currency, and in quality 
equal to the second quality of James River tobacco. 
One hand is adequate to attend four acres, and eight 
or ten of Indian corn : these do not interfere with the 
full crops. The process of cultivation and curing is 
simple and soon learned. Wheat does well: the 
average crop per acre, on the Thames and in the new 
settlement, is from 20 to 25 bushels per acre ; Indian 
corn from 25 to 50 bushels, according to the labour 
bestowed in the cultivation of it. Oats, barley, and 
peas do well. The natural meadows on the Thames, 
and at this place, afford great facilities in raising stock 
of all kinds : sheep thrive well, and are not subject to 
the diseases that injure them in England ; the rot is 
unknown. Fruit of all kinds thrives well, particularly 
apples, the varieties of which are endless. 

' The Crown reserves, now the property of the 
Land Company, are generally of as good a quality 
as the other lands in the district. In the township 
of Sandwich they are in a block, five miles from 
the river Detroit, and are generally of the first 



200 TOPOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 

quality, well adapted to the cultivation of hemp 
or tobacco. A road has lately been laid out to 
the Talbot road, adjoining to them ; and, had the 
Company an agent in this district, the whole of these 
lands would in a short period be purchased. AVould 
they take flour, hemp, tobacco, and work on the 
highways, in payment, I think 6s. Sd. per acre would, 
on these terms, be obtained for them. No deed need 
be given until the conditions of purchase were per- 
formed. 

' From the nearness of these lands to the Catholic 
Church, they would all be taken either by Canadian 
or Irish emigrants of the same persuasion. That the 
not being able to procure lands in the vicinity of the 
Church has driven thirty or forty young Canadians 
from the country, within the three last years, is within 
my own knowledge : they have gone to the Michegan 
territory, on the river Raison. 

' Your Lordship will, in casting your eye to the 
map of the Province, see the advantage that would be 
derived to this district in particular, could a canal be 
made from the first fork of the river Thames to Lake 
Erie, near to the Romney township-line. From the in- 
formation I have obtained, and my own observations, 
I am of opinion that this is practicable, at an expense 
trifling in comparison with the quantity of fine land 
that would be reclaimed by it, being at least a million 
of acres. This fork runs to within two miles of the 
Lake, and in the spring of the year, when the waters 
are high, has no current. The banks of the Lake 



UPPER CANADA. 201 

Erie are at this place at least seventy feet high : being 
composed of gravel and quick-sand in layers to a level 
with the water, present great facilities in the execution. 
Could the water be once made to take this course, it 
would of itself soon wear it to a level with Lake Erie, 
and thereby lower the waters in Lake St. Clair, if not 
reduce it to a river. One hundred dollars would be 
sufficient to level and ascertain at what expense the 
canal could be made : to know this must be advan- 
tageous both to the Government and the Company, 
much of whose lands in Harwick, Raleigh, Tilbury, 
Rochester and Maidstone would be drained by it, 
and much land that, without something of this sort 
being done, must remain a marsh, particularly the 
fine plains at the mouths of the rivers St. Clair and 
Thames. The lower township on the Thames is nearly 
all Catholic, more than the half of whose farms are 
now under water, and would be much benefited could 
this canal be made. 

' Should it be agreeable to your Lordship, I shall 
at some future day send you what further information 
I may be able to collect. With the highest sentiments 
of regard, 

' I have the honour to be 
' Your Lordship's 

' Most obedient Servant, 

' AYilliam Elliott/ 

Such further notices of particular localities in 
either province, as we think may be useful for the in- 
formation of intended colonists, shall be introduced 
as occasion offers in the subsequent chapters. 



203 



TRAVELLING. 



Part I.— BY THE ST. LAWRENCE, &c. 

When the emigrant has crossed the Atlantic, the 
first sight he obtains of the American continent on 
drawing near to the rugged shores that surround the 
gulf of St. Lawrence, will not fail to strike him, from 
its bold outline and dark masses of forest, realizing, 
with a somewhat repulsive effect at first, all that he 
has ever heard or read of a savage yet romantic 
wilderness. Broken^ however, into rocky ravines, 
and diversified by receding vallies, which are occa- 
sionally seen between the lofty mountains, its wildness 
sometimes assumes a chastened if not picturesque 
appearance, which is heightened by the streams that 
gush into the sea from the gorges of the hills, and 
by not a few considerable cataracts, that, at different 
points inland, are seen tumbling and foaming from 
amidst the pine-covered rocks. 

As he proceeds up the St. Lawrence, which varies 
in breadth from twenty to two miles, and is so deep, 
that for a considerable distance towards the interior 
no soundings are to be had in its centre, the voyager 
will pass several islands of various size and appear- 
ance, as well as, perhaps, some large and dangerous 
ice-floats, or islands, near its mouth, or found fre- 



204 TRAVELLING. 

quently drifting down it even till towards the end of 
May. The scenery now, on both sides of the river, is 
described as not only lofty and impressive, particularly 
along its northern shore, but as, in many places, un- 
folding beauties not often to be met with on this 
western continent. The whole, however, in this outer 
verge of the Canadian country, presents, by its com- 
paratively mountainous and picturesque character, a 
perfect contrast not only to the level fields and 
blooming orchards of the rich seigniory of Montreal, 
higher up the river, but to the still more luxuriant and 
well laid-out flats which border Lake Erie, &c., in the 
Upper Province. Every aspect of nature, indeed, in 
this exterior quarter, from the mountain wilds and 
sweeping valhes, — only cultivated in scanty patches on 
the frontier, and stretching inwards for many miles of 
diversified wilderness, — to the broad St. Lawrence itself 
and its noble tributants — the Saguenay, in particular, 
which appears bursting from an enormous chasm in 
the northern shore — seems to be upon that great scale 
so well known as a characteristic of American scenery. 
Still proceeding up the St. Lawrence, the voyager 
will find the rugged features of the country soften, 
particularly towards the south, and its cultivation 
rapidly increase, with many pretty and picturesque 
settlements along its margin, until passing the 
island of Orleans, which divides the river into two 
narrow channels, he comes suddenly upon a lofty 
rock on its northern banks, upon the summit of which 
he will perceive the flag and fortifications of the high- 



QUEBEC. 205 

seated citadel of Quebec. Below this noble head- 
land, well known by the name of Cape Diamond, he 
enters that fine expanse called the Quebec Basin, — 
in saihng up which, through crowds of shipping, the 
stranger is treated with one of the finest and most 
striking scenes on the whole western continent, — his 
ship soon casts anchor in the river St. Charles, and 
he is at length landed at the foot of the promontory 
we have mentioned, in the lower town of Quebec. 

This part of the Canadian capital he will find 
mean-looking, and excessively crowded with build- 
ings, for the convenience of the shipping : the ware- 
houses, &c., are built on the wharfs. The streets 
here are narrow, and the ascent to the upper town 
as irregular and as dirty, as any in the old town of 
Edinburgh. The city improves however in all re- 
spects, as the stranger ascends to the upper town ; 
the houses are mostly built of grey stone, with tall, 
sloping roofs of tin or sheet iron ; and the view from 
the ramparts of the citadel, or from the celebrated 
heights of Abram beyond, and other parts in the 
neighbourhood, is described as hardly to be equalled. 
Upon the riverward edge of the rock, on which the 
citadel is constructed, at the height of 350 feet above 
the St. Lawrence, stands the Governor-General's resi- 
dence, and other public buildings, as also a monu- 
ment lately erected to the memory of Wolfe, and his 
rival Montcalm ; all of which have an imposing effect 
from point Levi, and a populous country opposite, 
as well as from the river below. 



206 TRAVELLING. 

On entering the town tlie stranger will he struck 
with the mixture of dress, manners, and language, 
which distinguish the motley groups of the people in 
the streets, from those of the ordinary cities of Eu- 
rope, and exhibit in the eyes of an Englishman a 
most outlandish variety. The population of the city, 
estimated at from 30,000 to 35,000 persons, being 
composed of a mixture of French-Canadians, English, 
Irish, Scots, and Americans ; besides Indians, and 
strangers from different quarters, discover all the 
varietv of costume and language which from such 
circumstances may be expected. The French-Cana- 
dians predominate to the amount, perhaps, of two- 
thirds of the whole ; and this being the metropolitan 
city, such of the French gentry as inhabit the town 
assume a high bearing, and contribute, with the 
officers of the government and the gentlemen of the 
learned profession, with the addition of a few of the 
higher class of merchants, to form the aristocracy of 
the place. 

Besides the Chateau de St. Louis, where the Gover- 
nor-General resides, and the old Bishop's Palace, — 
in the different buildings of which the Provincial 
Parliament now hold their sittings and transact 
the legislative business, — there is in this city an 
extensive collegiate building, called the Seminary 
of Quebec ; a large modern structure as a Court 
House ; a gaol of corresponding size ; the Metropo- 
litan Catholic Cathedral, which is a huge edifice, with 
a heavy dome and spire, exhibiting considerable in- 



QUEBEC. 20? 

ternal magnificence ; the Protestant Cathedral, like 
a respectable church in a populous manufacturing 
town ; the Scots Church, also, a decent affair ; the 
Ursuline Convent, containing the Church of St. 
Ursula, and a Convent, wherein forty-five nuns live 
very recluse and austere, and yet are constantly em- 
ployed in the instruction of female pupils in the most 
useful branches of knowledge, besides embroidery, &c.; 
the spacious Monastery of the Jesuits, now converted 
into a barrack ; an Armoury, which has arms for the 
complete equipment of 20,000 men ; the Quebec 
Bank, in the lower town ; the Quebec Library, con- 
taining a valuable collection of literature of all sorts ; 
the Custom House ; the Exchange ; and, in short, 
all the public erections usual in a metropolitan city. 

The chief mart of pleasure and business for the 
ordinary classes of the people is the market-place, 
and its neighbourhood, which is an elongated area in 
front of the Jesuits College, now a Barracks, and 
the Catholic Cathedral ; in the centre of which 
is the Market-house. From this area several of the 
principal thoroughfare streets of the city diverge. 
Here all the varied characteristics of the mixed 
population of Lower Canada are to be witnessed 
every morning, for the market is held daily; and 
here, particularly in summer and autumn, carts 
loaded with poultry, fish, butchers' meat, vegetables, 
herbs, flowers, heaps of wild pigeons; throngs of 
country vehicles, with hay, wood, &c., and multitudes 
of horses for sale ; the habitants^ or peasantry, of the 



208 TRAVELLING. 

province, with their wives and daughters, mingled 
with Indian Squaws in small carts from Lorette ; the 
canaille from the suburbs of St. Roch, with the 
rude carters of the city, all vociferating a Babel of 
bad French and broken English; in the midst of 
which the officers of the civil government and the 
garrison, and gentlemen of the learned profes- 
sions, the proud French seigneures as well as the 
no less proud English merchants, and new-made 
squires of this new country, may be seen in contrast, 
the whole presenting a scene, which, to the British 
stranger, is not a little grotesque and interesting*. 

The upper town is more quiet and pretending than 
the lower ; and though the streets are narrow, — the 
roofs and window-shutters of the houses being of tin, 
and the tout ensemble of their forms presenting several 
peculiarities truly Canadian, — the whole has the air 
of a European city. Between St. Louis and St. 
John's Gate is a fine esplanade, which is the usual 
place of parade and review for the troops of the 
garrison ; and in front of the old baronial building 
called the Chateau of St. Louis, and surrounded by 
the most distinguished edifices of the capital, is 
another area called the Place d'Armes, or Grand 
Parade, which affords an agreeable promenade for 
the gentry, and is considered the fashionable quarter 
of the town. 

Quebec is well called the Gibraltar of British Ame- 

* Bouchette, vol. i., p. 253. McGregor's British America; 
vol. ii., p. 480. Talbot, &c. 



QUEBEC. 209 

rica ; the strength of its citadel, and its remarkable 
position for a full command of the St. Lawrence 
below, and the country around it, fully entitling it to 
this appellation. A particular description of its walls, 
glacis and outworks, defending its approach by the 
main roads, as well as towards the plains of Abram, 
belongs not properly to our subject. We therefore 
proceed, for the information of the emigrant stranger, 
to give a similar brief sketch of the other towns in 
Lower Canada, particularly Montreal, lying 180 
miles higher up the river than Quebec. 

The traveller between these two cities may pro- 
ceed either by coach along either shore, or by one of 
the numerous elegantly-fitted-up steam-boats, which, 
during the whole open season have constantly plyed 
up and down on the river ever since 1812, when the 
first was launched. Passing several villages and 
hamlets that skirt the margin of the river, — the chief of 
which, twenty-one miles from Quebec, is called by the 
French Point aux Trembles, and contains a collegiate 
church, a convent of nuns, and above 500 inhabitants, 
all of whom are French- Canadians, — the traveller 
arrives at the important town of Three Kivers, ninety 
miles from Quebec. 

Situated on a point of land on the north bank of 
the St. Lawrence, where the St. Maurice, on which 
the celebrated forges are erected, meets the former 
river, the town of Trois Rivieres occupies a position 
rather important to the navigation between Quebec 
and Montreal. It contains a Catholic and a Protes- 

p 



210 TRAVELLING. 

tant church, a convent of Ursulins, which may more 
properly be called an hospital and seminary for 
female education ; the court-house of the district, a 
gaol, a small barrack, and about 3000 inhabitants. 
This town is one of the oldest in Canada, and is next 
in importance to Montreal; its houses are chiefly 
built of wood; it is very agreeably situated; and 
though its trade, which consists chiefly of the import 
and distribution of British-manufactured goods, has 
been much transferred to the larger cities, it is most 
conveniently established for the extensive forges of St. 
Maurice, which lie about seven miles up on the right 
bank of that important and almost unknown river. 

Of the villages on the banks of the St. Lawrence, 
next higher up, the chief is Berthier, midway between 
Three Rivers and Montreal, and lying a little off on 
the north side of the Chanail-du-Nord, beyond some 
small islands, situated also in the direct route of the 
stage-coaches plying constantly between Montreal 
aud Quebec, and being a principal intermediate post- 
office station. This town is a place of some im- 
portance, containing many stores for general mer- 
chandise, and British-manufactured goods, as well 
as granaries for produce, a handsome church, inns, 
shops, &c., and nearly 900 inhabitants. 

Passing Berthier, and other small villages, the next 
town at which the steam-boats stop on their voyage to 
take in fuel, &c., is situated at the confluence of that 
southern feeder of the St. Lawrence, which we have 
generally denominated the River Richlieu, — although 



MONTREAL. 211 

it is also called the Sorell — with the latter river, 
namely, 45 miles above Three Rivers, and 135 
above Quebec. This little town, called formerly 
Sorell, but now Fort AVilliam Henry, is charm- 
in^lv situated on the east bank of the Richlieu, and 
at the head of Lake St. Peter| on the St. Lawrence. Its 
appearance, however, from the latter, is but mean; 
still it is regularly laid out, with a square in the centre ; 
and has within it a small garrison, a block-house, 
and hospital, with well-built Protestant and CathoHc 
churches, both constructed of stone. From its salu- 
brious and pleasant situation, this town is generally 
the summer residence of his excellency the Governor 
of the province. Its population is variously stated. 
Mr. Talbot describes it, above eight years ago, as 
then containing 1500 inhabitants, mostly consisting 
of English and Scots, and gradually increasing ; 
while Surveyor-General Bouchette, in his recently- 
published work, gives it at no more than the same 
number. 

Passing on, numerous luxuriant and well-cultivated 
small islands appearing on every side, the traveller 
soon arrives at the beautiful island and seigniory of 
Montreal, on which the magnificent wooded moun- 
tain from which it takes its name appears, over- 
looking the steeples of the city. The second city 
of the province in point of importance, Montreal is 
undoubtedly the first, says Bouchette, with respect to 
local advantages and superiority of climate. Betwixt 
the royal mountain just mentioned, and the river, — on 

p2 



212 TRAVELLING. 

a ridge of gentle elevation stands the town. * In- 
cluding the suburbs, it is much more extensive 
and somewhat more populous than Quebec. Both 
cities differ very greatly in appearance; the low 
banks of the St. Lawrence, at Montreal, want the 
tremendous precipices frowning over them, and all the 
grand sublimity which characterize Quebec. There 
are no wharfs at Montreal, and the ships and steamers 
lie quietly in pretty deep water close to the clayey 
and, generally, filthy bank in front of the city. The 
whole of the lower town is covered with gloomy-look- 
ing houses, having dark iron window- shutters, and 
although, perhaps, rather cleaner than Quebec, yet 
it is still very dirty. The streets are not only narrow, 
but the foot-paths are interrupted by slanting cellar- 
doors and other projections*.' 

This peculiarity of the lower town of Montreal was 
also strongly noticed by Mr. Talbot in 1824. To 
add to the inconvenience of the narrowness of the 
streets, he says, ' the side-paths or causeways are 
rendered almost impassable, by a barbarous practice 
which prevails in every part of the city, of erecting 
outside the doors wooden steps which project from 
three to four feet into the streets. If only two per- 
sons meet opposite one of those cumbersome piles, 
they will inevitably be obliged either to retrace their 
steps, or, out of hasty complaisance, to descend into 
the channel, a sad accident in winter. It is almost 
impossible,' adds this Hibernian exaggerator, ' even 
• McGregor's British America, vol. ii., p. 504. 



MONTREAL. 213 

for two persons to walk arm in arm without sepa- 
rating every ten or twelve yards. The houses are 
generally built of a durable kind of limestone; 
but those which were erected previous to the late 
war assume the most forbidding appearance, in con- 
sequence of the outer doors and window-shutters 
being made of strong sheet iron. The use of these 
massive securities is now so general, and their value 
so highly appreciated, that scarcely a house can be 
found without them. They have been adopted to 
counteract the effects of fire, which in this city fre- 
quently rages to the destruction of immense property.* 
* And,' adds the same gentleman, ' it is impossible 
to walk the streets of Montreal on a Sunday or other 
hoHday when the shops are all closed, without re- 
ceiving the most gloomy impressions. The whole 
city appears one vast prison ;' and, pursuing this 
imagination, he says, ' the stranger is apt to fancy 
that every noise he hears is that of the chains or 
groans of the incarcerated malefactor*.' 

The new or upper part of Montreal, however, con- 
tains some good streets, crossed in general by narrow 
ones : many of the houses are even handsome, and 
there are villas in the neighbourhood that are styled 
by some travellers elegant residences. There are two 
market-places here, in the chief of which stands a 
monument to Lord Nelson, which is a Doric column 
on a square pedestal, surmounted by a colossal statue 
of the naval hero. The Champ de Mars, an agreeable 
esplanade planted round with Lombardy poplars, and 
* Talbot's Five Years' Residence, vol. i., p. 65, &c. 



214 TRAVELLING. 

faced to tlie west by a row of handsome buildings, is 
spacious, and a place of some resort. Tlie back of the 
court-house and gaol line the eastern side of this area ; 
upon which the troops of the garrison are reviewed, and 
here the military bands usually play to the company 
who resort thither during the evenings of summer 
and autumn. 

This city is remarkable for its splendid conventual 
buildings, partaking the character as well of hospitals, 
and seminaries of education, as of refuges for religious 
females. The most extensive of these are the build- 
ings of La Congregation of Notre Dame, occupying 
a front of 234 feet, by a depth of 433, in the street of 
the same name. This splendid establishment is 
usually called by the French the Convent of the 
Soeurs Noires, or black nuns, it being conducted by a 
Mere Sujjerieuj^', and sixty nuns, who dress only in 
black stuff, and devote themselves to the instruction 
of young females, sending out occasionally female 
missionaries, or teachers, to other parts of the district. 
Another, a general hospital for invalid poor, situate 
in one of the other principal streets, which is styled 
the Convent des Soeurs Grises, or grey nuns, is 
conducted by twenty-four sisters wearing dresses 
corresponding to their general appellation, and is 
described as a most useful and truly benevolent 
charity, — embracing the cases not only of the aged 
destitute, but that of the helpless orphan, the maimed 
and distressed of both sexes ; and even the insane 
and the demented are ministered unto, and their 
afflictions alleviated, by these sympathetic nuns. 



MONTREAL. 215 

Besides these, there is the Hotel Dieu, in St. Paul 
Street, which occupies a front of 324 feet by 468 in 
depth, and is also devoted to the alleviation of human 
misery, under the conduct of a superior and thirty-six 
nuns. These charitable establishments are not only 
assisted by occasional grants from the provincial 
parliament, but are partly endowed with landed pro- 
perty in the neighbourhood, the smallness of which, 
compared to the calls upon it, has hitherto preserved 
it from mal-appropriation. 

In giving a sketch of the city of Montreal, the 
jDublic buildings of which are in several instances 
more imposing than those of Quebec, no aim at 
condensation would excuse us for passing hastily 
over the new Catholic cathedral, unquestionably one 
of the most splendid temples in America. Fronting 
the Place d'Armes, a central square area of the city, 
this noble edifice, which was opened as late as the 
autumn of 1 829, is 255 feet in length by 234 in breadth, 
and exclusive of the lofty tin roof, its walls are 112 feet 
in height. It has six massive quadrangular towers, 
with octangular buttresses placed at the angles of 
each, and terminating at the top in conical pinnacles. 
Between these towers, along the roof, there is a pro- 
menade 25 feet wide ; and surrounding the building 
below, is a spacious terrace, occupying a space in the 
principal front of 41 feet. The eastern window 
behind the altar is in height 70 feet, by 33 feet in 
width ; is separated by shafts into five compartments, 
and is intended hereafter to be chiefly occupied with 
religious paintings on stained glass. 



216 TRAVELLING. 

The effect of tliis magnificent window in the in- 
terior, from the great western entrance, — of the high 
altar beneath it, — of the double range of grouped 
columns that support the vaults of the ceiling, and the 
double tier of galleries on each side of the great nave, — 
of the screen of the choir, — of the seven chapels with 
as many altars, into which the interior is divided, and 
which can all be seen from the same point, — isdescribed 
as exceedingly magnificent and imposing. Seven 
spacious aisles leading in the same direction, and two 
crossing these at right angles, are occupied by above 
500 pews on the ground floor, besides 740 in the 
galleries above ; and the whole is calculated to seat 
10,000 persons, who, by means of five principal 
entrances, with geometrical stairs leading from the 
galleries through the towers, may all assemble or 
disperse with ease in a few minutes. The floor from 
the front entrance to the chancel is an inclined plane 
of 3 feet, rising towards the high altar ; and between 
the lower row of windows on each side, which are 
36 feet high by 10 feet in width, are recesses in 
the piers, in which are placed the confessionals. 
This noble cathedral and its towers has an exceed- 
ingly fine eff'ect when seen overlooking the other 
buildings, from a distance. 

Several other Catholic churches adorn this city, 
and there are besides some English churches and 
chapels, the principal of which, in Notre Dame Street, 
is a handsome edifice with a beautiful spire. There is 
also a Scot's kirk, plain as usual, but most respectably 
attended. Montreal, with its holidays, and its priests 



MONTREAL. 217 

and nuns, has very mucli the air of a Catholic city : 

* the bells of the Catholic churches,' we are told, 

* are eternally ringing, and outraging all pretence to 
harmony ; and are, consequently, a most disagreeable 
annoyance, particularly to strangers*.' 

Montreal is also remarkable in a new country for 
its seminaries of education, particularly those for the 
French youth. The oldest of these, founded as far 
back as 1657, is called the Seminary of St. Sulpice, 
occupying three sides of a square, adjoining the 
cathedral, and wherein is taught all the branches of 
learning, up to the higher departments of philosophy 
and mathematics. The next is the French College, 
founded in 1719, at which are usually taught between 
200 and 300 students ; and which is well appointed 
with professors of all the branches of learning, and 
endowed vyith some of the best lands in the island. 

Of late years, however, several English seminaries 
have sprung up, in addition to these, to meet the 
wants of Canada as a British colony ; and the 
reproach is now completely done away, which used to 
maintain that this country was without the means of 
education. The desideratum then felt was well sup- 
plied, in the first instance, by the munificent benevo- 
lence of an opulent English merchant, who, in 1814, 
bequeathed in trust, to an institution formed several 
years previous for the promotion of this object, 
10,000/., for the endowment of a college which 
should bear his name. M'Gill College was accord- 
ingly founded and established by royal charter, in 
* McGregor, vol. ii, p. 507. 



218 TRAVELLING. 

1821. The Governor, Lieutenant-Governor, and 
other public functionaries of the provinces, take 
the chief charge of this important establishment; 
and the course of education taught in it is under 
the direction of a principal, and professors of 
divinity, moral philosophy, the learned languages, 
mathematics, natural philosophy, history, and civil 
law. Several other minor English schools are super- 
added to this valuable seminary : there is the Mon- 
treal Medical Institution, which is proposed to be 
incorporated into M'Gill College, the latter establish- 
ment having already acquired considerable repute 
from its respectability and learning. Besides this, 
there is the Natural History Society of Montreal, a 
most interesting institution, considering the country 
where it has been formed ; and a Mechanics' Institution, 
which was established under the patronage of the 
late Governor, Sir James Kempt, and is under the 
direction of several of its own officers, including a 
secretary, a corresponding secretary, a librarian and 
keeper of the museum. Of the minor seminaries for 
the English population, the chief is the Classical 
Academical Institution, and the Royal Grammar 
School; which, with the Montreal Library, amply 
furnished with ancient and British literature, and 
excellent maps hung round the reading-room attached ; 
a Garrison Library ; an Advocates' Library ; various 
societies for promoting religious knowledge ; five news- 
papers, published in this city, with several monthly 
publications, besides a Canadian Quarterly Review ; 
— all attest that this new country, and Montreal in 



MONTREAL. 219 

particular, is in an exceedingly forward state, both 
with respect to useful education, and to the provision 
for mental entertainment and improvement. 

Before passing from the subject of the public 
buildings and seminaries of education of Montreal, 
there is one not yet mentioned, which must be an 
interesting establishment to poor emigrants, — as it is 
most creditable to the city where it exists : — this is 
the Montreal General Hospital, the institution of 
which first originated with the ladies of the city, who 
formed themselves into an association, under the 
name of the Ladies' Benevolent Society, ' expressly 
for the relief of indigent emigrants, who, invalided by 
a long sea voyage, and often in a state of absolute 
destitution, landed in a strange country, the most 
miserable objects of public charity. In 1818, a fund 
of 1200Z. was raised to relieve the wants of this class 
of sufferers, and the poor of the city ; and a soup- 
kitchen was opened, where those philanthropic ladies 
personally superintended the distribution of alms. 
This plan was followed up by the establishment of a 
house of recovery for the reception of the indigent 
sick, and ultimately ended in the foundation of the 
Montreal General Hospital, the members and sub- 
scribers to which were incorporated by charter on 
the 30th of January, 1823*.' The useful building, 
thus originating, is 76 feet in front ; and, surmounted 
by a cupola, forms one of the ornaments of this 
rising city. 

The position of Montreal, to quote McGregor's 
* Bouchette, vol. i.j p. 225. , 



220 TRAVELLING. 

words, * at the head of the sliip navigation, and 
near the confluence of the St. Lawrence with the 
Ottawa, and its subsequent communication with Upper 
Canada, the Genessee country, and other parts of 
the United States, will always constitute it one of the 
greatest commercial emporiums in America, which 
must increase in magnitude and importance along 
with the rapid improvement and increasing popula- 
tion of the upper and surrounding countries.' 

' In winter,' adds the same graphic writer, ' the 
inland trade of Montreal is much like that of 
Quebec. Thousands of sleighs may be seen coming 
in from all directions with agricultural produce and 
frozen carcasses of beef and pork, firewood and other 
articles. Keen, calculating Jonathan, who finds out 
whatever will enable him to obtain a dollar, also 
directs his way with a horse and sleigh, carrying 
the fish he caught in Massachusetts Bay, over snow 
and ice, to supply the tables of the fresh-fish epi- 
cureans of Montreal.' Again : ' In summer, vast 
rafts of timber come down and pass the town for 
Quebec, and scows, batteaux, or Durham boats, 
bring down the produce of the upper country. The 
batteaux will carry about six tons ; they are forty 
feet long, six feet broad, flat-bottomed, and draw 
about twenty inches water, and constructed to shoot 
or pass through the rapids. The dangers to which 
the voyageursy or boatmen, are exposed are almost 
incredible. When rowing, they keep time by sing- 
ing their celebrated airs, the effect of which, in fine 
weather, on the rivers and lakes, is truly delightful. 



MONTREAL. 221 

Moore's charming " Canadian boat-song" is in beauti- 
ful accordance with local truth. The scows are rude, 
oblong, rectangular, flat-bottomed vessels, that will 
sometimes carry down 4 to 500 barrels floating with 
the stream. They are built in the upper countries 
merely for carrying down one cargo, and then sold, 
to be broken up, for a few dollars, at Montreal or 
Quebec*.' 

All the usual public buildings of a large city, 
besides those we have noticed, are to be found at 
Montreal. Of the hotels there is one near the river, 
whose appearance is described as more resembling a 
large public edifice than a mere house of entertain- 
ment. Here the traveller, or tourist, may enjoy 
every luxury known in Europe : the ices in summer 
are described as choice ; and, in addition to abundance 
of the usual fruits, the Montreal apples, two species 
of them in particular called the pomme grise, and the 
pomme niege, are considered delicious, and superior 
to any apples on this side the Atlantic. 

The population of this city is variously stated ; 
but it perhaps amounts to but little more than that of 
Quebec. More than three-fourths of it is French ; 
the remainder consists of English, Scots, Irish and 
Americans. With these there are mixed occasionally 
not a few Iroquois Indians, who, in tawdry costume, 
and as degraded as the Hurons of Lorette near 
Quebec, may be seen lounging in groups about the 
streets; not unfrequently relieved by the national- 
looking Highlanders, from the Canadian Glen- 
* Vol. ii., pp. 513, 514, &c. 



222 TRAVELLING. 

gary. Besides the numerous Catholic churches and 
the constant ringing of bells in this city, as before 
noticed, which give it a more ecclesiastical cha- 
racter than that of Quebec, the greater number of 
priests in their sable costume, and of students in 
their academicals, with the nuns, black and grey, 
* with their trumpery,' belonging to the convents, 
constantly walking the streets, add greatly to this 
effect, and cannot fail to strike a stranger. 

Of the peculiar amusements here, as connected with 
the manners of the Canadians, we may hereafter have 
occasion to give a few particulars. In Montreal, 
near the Mansion-house inn, there is a theatre, neatly 
fitted up to hold about 700 persons, for which, 
however, there is no regular company of performers*. 
A circus has also been annually opened by a company 
of American equestrians, and concerts of music are 
sometimes given in the ball-rooms. 

For the environs of Montreal, the view of them 
from the Eoyal Mountain above it already mentioned, 
— whose altitude is 800 feet above the level of the 
river, — though less grand than that from Cape Dia- 
mond at Quebec, is considered, for soft luxuriant 
beauty, not to be surpassed anywhere in America. 
The ride round this picturesque mountain is the 

* 'I believe,' says a tourist, after seeing our Miss Kelly 
perform at this theatre, ' no speculation turns out more profita- 
ble to English actors in general, than to cross the Atlantic; and, 
after making a tour of the principal towns of the United States 
and Canada, to return to England from Quebec' — Personal 
Narrative of Travels^ 8fc.^ by the Hon, F. F. De Roos, R, N. 
p. 144. 



MONTREAL. 223 

favourite for the citizens of Montreal, and that 
recommended to strangers ; but that from the city to 
Lachine above, along the upland banks of the St. 
Lawrence, where a full view is obtained of that most 
striking and interesting portion of the river, the 
boiling rapids, or as they may be called the Cascade 
of the Sault St. Louis, with a romantic Indian village 
on the opposite shore, and the beautiful and busy 
bosom of the river expanded into a lake above, form 
altogether an assemblage of objects, which cannot 
fail to charm the contemplative traveller. 

Indeed, to notice with any measure of particularity 
the various objects of this interesting route, with which 
ample descriptions have been furnished us, in any 
other way than to point them out to the attention of 
the traveller, would far exceed the limits to which 
by making room for matter merely useful we are 
necessarily confined. From the Falls of the Mont- 
morency opposite where the traveller first lands at 
Quebec, to the great Falls of Niagara in the upper 
province, — including the Falls of the Chaudiere not far 
from Quebec, which the stranger should by all means 
visit ; the beautiful rapids of the cedars near the Isle 
des Cascades on the St. Lawrence, with the not less 
interesting scenery around ; to the more splended rapids 
of the Ottawa at the Chats, and the remarkable lake 
of the thousand islands — there seems no scarcity of 
objects to interest, the senses or the intellect of the 
observing traveller, whether his intentions be to 
make this new colony his home, or to return to" 
Europe with the result of his observations. 



224 TRAVELLING. 

In speaking, however, of what is useful as well aa 
ornamental in this quarter, and retrospectively of 
Quebec ; in enumerating the public institutions of 
that city, where, in addition to the old French College, 
there has of late been set up several English Semi- 
naries, particularly a Royal Grammar School and a 
Classical Academy, we ought not to omit making 
mention of the Royal Institution established some time 
ago for the advancement of learning, under the patro- 
nage of the chief authorities of the colony. Still less 
w^ould it be excusable should we omit to make honour- 
able mention of the Literary and Historical Society 
of Quebec, also patronized by the chiefs of the civil 
government, which has already collected an excellent 
librar}^ and whose printed Transactions now before us, 
give good promise of what it may yet do for science, 
by the observations of its members on the natural 
productions of this colony. 

Of these valuable papers, we may hereafter have 
occasion to make such use, as the popular nature of 
our subject will admit of. Meantim.e, as the other 
route from Europe to the Canadas, namely, by New 
York and the Erie Canal, &c., will become more 
frequented as the provinces rise in population and con- 
sequence, besides being one of particular interest to 
tourist travellers, as well as to emigrants who may wish 
to obtain some passing acquaintance with the United 
States ; we shall follow the traveller also by this route, 
condensing our original documents on that part of 
the subject, in a new chapter. 



TRAVELLING. 



Part II.— BY NEW YORK AND ALBANY, &c. 

Tourists, whose object in visiting the States and the 
British colonies is chiefly the gratification of their 
curiosity and for amusement, generally find it the 
best mode to take their passage from London or 
Liverpool in one of the packet-ships to New York or 
Philadelphia. Having seen what they think worthy of 
observation in the States, tlie usual mode of reaching 
the Canadas is by taking the steam-boat at the former 
city and proceeding up the Hudson river to Albany, 
thence to * get along' by the Erie canal westward, 
up the country to the river Niagara, which brings them 
into the Britisli territory in the district of the same 
name. Upper Canada. Having visited the Falls, and 
anything else esteemed interesting in the Upper 
Province, they again take a steam-boat, either at 
Niagara or York, to Kingston, so that Montreal and 
Quebec are the last places they visit. 

To this class of persons, the expenses of travelhng 
are not an object of much importance, compared to 
what ihey are to the ordinary emigrant. To all, how- 
ever, who can afford it, the passage to New York by 
one of the elegantly fitted up packet ships, is both 
short and agreeable ; the accommodations are excel- 

Q 



225 TRAVELLING. 

lent, and the cost, including the best of ordinary- 
wines, is 30/. to each adult. These fine ships some- 
times make the passage out in Utile more than three 
weeks, and four is in general now the maximum 
period. For genteel families, also, meaning to settle 
in the more western parts of Upper Canada, the pas- 
sage, by New York, though more expensive, is in 
general most pleasant, combining also the advantage 
and enjoyment of a previous visit to the United States. 

The sail from New York to Albany on the Hudson, 
on the way to the British provinces, is described as 
exceedingly pleasant, the stream itself being noble, 
and the scenery highly interesting, and differing from 
anything that the traveller may have seen in England. 
Lofty and romantic hills surround the traveller on 
his progress upwards, among which the celebrated 
Katskill mountains are the most conspicuous, and 
often present, with the clouds sailing under their tops, 
appearances at once beautiful and striking. 

The banks of the river are famous for being the 
scene of several of the American battles with the 
English, particularly along its upper shore ; and all 
along the line of lake Champlain, from which it takes 
its course, and into Canada, abounding in warlike re- 
collections, is, for this reason, exceedingly interesting 
to the Americans. On these banks, also, are here and 
there to be seen the remains of small forts ; and the 
traveller will pass West Point, or Tarry Town, fifty 
miles from New York, where the unfortunate Major 
Andre was executed during the revolutionary war. 



THE HUDSON. 227 

Here is now a military college, the best in the United 
States, costing annually about 2500/. The situation 
of this place is described as most interesting as well 
as healthful, and the scenery around it as romantic and 
even magnificent. As indeed the scenery, on the 
whole of this river, is of no common character, it may 
be necessary for the sake of tourists to be a little 
more particular. 

On leaving New York, the traveller observes a per- 
pendicular ridge, called the Pallisades, which, rising 
to the height of 150 to 500 feet above the river, 
forms its left bank for about thirty miles, along the 
foot of which the Hudson runs in a deep straight 
channel, the right banks of which are more low and 
picturesque. These Pallisades exhibit a beautiful faint 
purple surface, their summits are covered with forests, 
in which are occasional openings, showing streams 
down which timber is floated from the interior woods. 
Farther up, the scenery and the windings of the 
stream are described by all tourists as extremely 
beautiful, the mountains bold and diversified, and 
rising in some places to the height of 1500 feet from 
the water. ' The American mountains,' says the 
Honourable Fitzgerald De Roos, ' differ widely in 
character from the European. They have no bare 
and craggy tops, presenting images of sterility and 
desolation. Gracefully rounded, the summit vies in 
fertility with the base, and is equally clothed with 
fohage exhibiting every shade of green. In the 
highlands of the Hudson, however, a rude rock will 

Q 2 



228 TRAVELLIiN-G. 

occasionally burst its way tlirougli entangled branches 
of tlie creepers and the vines, and bare its bosom to 
the noble river *.' 

Along the edges of the stream, and at the very foot 
of those hills, are numerous houses, and after proceed- 
ing about forty miles, the traveller emerges from the 
highlands to a more tame country, while the river 
widens into an expansive bay, called the Tartan sea. 
Near this the traveller will see one of the American 
places of j^unishment, namely, a prison for solitary 
confinement. Passin<>- the beautiful neighbourhood 
of West Point, formerly mentioned, as also New- 
burgh, Kingston, Katskill, Hudson, and other vil- 
lages, the scenery, through the remainder of the 
journey up to Albany, is more varied, with flat, forest 
and mountain ; yet still is of a character exceedingly 
likely to interest the traveller from Europe. 

The steam-boats plying on this river are much 
larger than any usually seen in England, being six 
and seven hundred tons burden, and so splendidly 
fitted up, that like those on the St. Lawrence, sailing 
above Quebec, they are often named by travellers 
floating palaces, and are spoken of as more fitted for 
voluptuaries, than for cool, calculating republicans. 
The captains have regular counting-houses in these 
splendid hotels ; there are dressing-rooms, where 
a barber is kept in attendance for the comfort of the 
passengers ; liquors are kept of all sorts, and in 

* Personal Narrative, p. 93. 



ALBANY. 229 

general, an abundance of pure ice ; and tlie cooking 
is reported by Englishmen to be excellent. These 
vessels carry from 100 to 300 passengers daily 
throughout the season, and some sail at the rate of 
more than twelve miles an hour. 

The fare by these fine vessels is remarkably 
moderate, and still more so by the others that are 
more fitted for poorer travellers, as we shall have 
occasion hereafter particularly to slate. These last 
conveyances are commercial vessels, called tow-boats, 
which are dragged by relays of horses, and travel 
night and day ; and the company to be met with in 
their cabins, consists of farmers and their wives, 
store-keepers, and other traders, with a slight mix- 
ture, occasionally, of American captains and colonels, 
besides numerous ' squires,' the usual nam^e given in 
America to men who have been constituted local 
justices of the peace. As the Hudson is the great 
outlet for American citizens, travelling in summer 
to rusticate at the Katskill mountains, or to be 
fashionable at the Saratoga springs, beyond Albany — 
as it is also the proper route from the States, for 
tourists, and emigrants travelling to the British 
Colonies, this river is not only one of the most fre- 
quented in the States, but by the company to be found 
on it, affords to the observing and the inquisitive 
excellent opportunities for obtaining information, and 
studying character. 

'Albany,' says an intelligent Englishman, lately 
in this quarter, \^hose original descrijotions we are per- 



230 TRAVELLING, 

mitted the use of, 'is the seat of government of the 
State of New York, and is a well-situate and well-built 
town, and one of the oldest in the country. In the 
neighbourhood are many Dutch families, descendants 
of very old settlers ; even in the town are some re- 
mains of Dutch buildings — the gable built to the street. 
The principal street is very wide, and too steep to 
be comfortable, but its elevation makes the upper 
part very pleasant ; at the top of it, in the centre, is 
the Capitol, where meet the Assembly, the Senate, 
the Supreme Council, and the County Court. From 
the rotunda at the top, is a fine view of a beautiful 
country on the other side of the river. The building 
itself has not much to boast of ; the State Library in 
it almost provokes a laugh, but perhaps what I saw 
was only a small portion of it. There are about 
20,000 inhabitants. We are now losing sight of the 
black population ; they form a very insignificant 
portion of the inhabitants here. 

' There was rather a want of labourers. Wages at 
this time (the middle of summer), a dollar per day. 
The population is active and stirring, and the place is 
the focus of a great trade ; it is the grand resting- 
place, in transitu, between New York and the 
Western States, by reason of the two canals, the 
Champlain and the Erie. The trade of this city 
Jias varied much ; it is the place of an immense tran- 
sit, but some of the merchants say, that the western 
traders find it so easy to proceed to New York by 
tlie" steam-vessels, when they have reached Albany, 



KATSKILL. 231 

that their business is much interfered with. For my 
own part I should doubt this. Between the 20th of 
April and 1st of September 6000 canal-boats entered 
inwards, and as many proceeded outwards. 

* No building here struck me as worthy of remark ; 
the museum was trumpery in the extreme. A great 
many coaches start from hence. By one line, Buf- 
falo, 296 miles distant, may be reached in less than 
three days.' 

The hotels in this city are of the first description, 
and are in summer crowded with company going 
down to Saratoga springs, or on their way to either 
of the Canadas. Besides these celebrated springs, 
and the town of Balston near, there are several other 
places in the vicinity of Albany wliich the curious 
tourist is recommended to visit. As he sails up the 
river from New York, there is, first, the romantic 
object of Pine Orchard House, which stands like an 
eagle's nest perched on the summit of a rock in the 
Katskill Mountains near the village of Katskill, at an 
elevation of about 2600 feet above the level of the 
river below. In particular, however, there is Moun- 
tain House, a fine hotel, built on a lofty spot on the 
same mountains, about thirteen miles from Katskill 
town, and thirty from Albany, for the accommodation 
of those who wish to visit the scene of Washington 
Irving's celebrated story of " Rip Van Winkle." 

From the Notes of a gentleman who lately travelled 
to Upper Canada by this route — namely, Nathaniel 
Gould, Esq., of London, — with which we have been 



232 TRAVELLING. 

liindly favoured on the present occasion, and which 
we shall have occasion to quote more than once, from 
the fresh and important information that they afford, 
we extract the following interesting description of his 
visit to these mountains, as giving a graphic idea of 
American roads and scenery : — 

' I got a carriage and excellent pair of horses to 
proceed to the Pviountain House, called thirteen miles, 
for one dollar and a quarter, being the regular stage 
fare ; I was the only passenger in the boat that 
stopped here, and the preceding boat had filled two 
coaches with parties proceeding to the hotel. For 
four or six miles the country undulates — much as in 
Sussex, which it partly resembles, from the young 
growth of timber, where left uncleared, being like 
hop-pole plantations. At seven miles we come to 
the half-way house, and here begins a most severe 
ascent. We had overtaken the other coaches, and 
most of us got out to walk. For myself, I walked 
all the remaining distance. The road, though ex- 
tremely bad, must have been an expensive under- 
taking to the owner of the house. It is through a 
pine forest, the land not worth a gift. Here, for the 
first time, I saw what has since been common 
enough with me — a sample of corduroy road. It is 
made of trunks of trees laid closely together across 
the road : it is the common mode of making roads 
through swamps or wet forests in America, Canada, 
and Russia, in fact, in all new and wooded countries. 
The darkness had gathered upon us, and I was so 



MOUNTAIN HOUSE. 233 

exhausted with fatigue that I found myself alone. 
The wood-robin, with a tone like a blackbird, and the 
" fFhip poor JVill " were very numerous : the latter 
appears to me be a species of goat-sucker, night- 
hawk, or fern-owl. We passed two small lakes, 
where the bull-frogs broke the stillness of night. 
We arrived long before the carriages, and made our- 
selves comfortable for tea. 

* As a view of the sun rising from this eminence is 
among the principal objects of curiosity here, we got 
to bed as soon as possible. The whole household 
was stirring before three o'clock ; but a dense fog 
obscured everything. We looked down upon a sea 
of clouds, having precisely the appearance described 
by balloon travellers, and although it was perfectly 
fine and dry during the day v^ith us, we did not see 
the valley or the river till six in the evening, when a 
small patch was visible ; we afterwards found that 
the day had been clear below us, although the clouds 
had looked lowering. I was surprised here at seeing 
lightning proceeding out of a light fleecy cloud. 
This house has been built by a Company to attract 
visitors ; it is very large, and built with great show ; 
it had last season between 400 and 500 visitors at 
one time ; the expense of building, (although it is all 
of wood, and cut on the spot), and the road to it, 
must have been great ; the landlord tells me not 
more than 30,000 dollars, or under 7,000/. Both 
house and country are well worth visiting — the 
situation romantic — placed on the edge of a tabla 



234 TRAVELLING. 

rock, 2580 feet above the river, surrounded with 
mountains covered with pine forests, and intersected 
by tremendous ravines ; it is kept by Mr. Webb, an 
Englishman, of pleasing manners, and attentive to 
his guests. It is said that Round-top, the most 
elevated situation in the neighbourhood, is 3700 feet 
above the level of the sea, but I should much doubt 
the correctness of this. Waggons were hired for the 
ladies, and the gentlemen walked through the wood 
to the Falls or Cascades ; the scenery is very pic- 
turesque, in style more like the Falls of Fyers in 
Scotland than any others I have seen ; the first fall 
is 176 feet, the second 80, after which is a con- 
tinuation of falls and rapids for a considerable dis- 
tance. Imm.ense masses of shelving rock overhang 
the abyss ; I threw myself on one of them, as Col- 
lins's description of danger occurred to me — 

'' Or throws him on the shelvinjr steep 
Of some huge hanging rock to sleep." 

' The superstratum is of a much harder nature than 
the under, which is continually mouldering away, 
leaving the surface rock overhanging to a great dis- 
tance ; this is the case at most of the great falls in 
America and Canada, so that the shute of water may 
be passed behind. The quantity of water here would 
be insignificant, were it not that a man who has 
erected a small house, with refreshments for visitors, 
confines it by a dam, which he opens, and lets down 
water in sufficient quantity when he is paid. We 



MOUNTAIN HOUSE. 235 

went to the bottom, and stood on what is called " Rip 
Van Winkle's Stone," whilst the dam was opened ; 
we afterwards went behind the water. — The effect of 
the cold air rushing against the face and breast is 
curious, and is the same, in a less degree, as that pro- 
duced at the Falls of Niagara. 

' The guide fired a gun repeatedly ; the reverbera- 
tion was grand. Cooper, in his novels, has occa- 
sionally described it ; the sound was sent back from 
the highest part of the mountains, about 16 miles off. 
The gun was four feet three in the barrel, smooth, 
but with a rifle sight ; the bore 36 balls to the pound ; 
cost 16 dollars. He says he is" sure of a buck at a 
hundred yards : it put me at once in mind of " Long 
Carabine," in Cooper's novel. 

* The whole of this district is original forest, not 
worth clearing ; indeed it is a wonder how the trees 
find root in it ; many of the largest are seen in all 
the forests, either lying down in various states of de- 
cemposition, or standing dead ; scorched with fire at 
the foot, or blasted with lightning at the top. There 
is a great variety of trees here, and some magnificent 
flowering shrubs. Eagles are seen floating above, 
and wolves, bears, and deer, are in the neighbouring 
forest; the latter frequented the two lakes, but are 
getting shy as visitors become more abundant. An 
old fox -hound, kept at the hotel, got on the trail of 
one, and was absent above two hours. In the lakes 
are cat-fish, but no eels above the falls. I copied the 



236 



TRAVELLING. 



English names from the guide's book, and to my 
surprise there were only nine in the twelvemonth. 

' On the sides of the two small lakes the trees are 
dead or dying ; some had fallen, and others had been 
cut down, leaving the ground in a state very similar 
to our timber mosses in Scotland and Ireland, when 
the bog is removed ; and as more trees fall, the water 
seems to encroach, and the bog earth to cover the 
decayed trees, till in process of time it becomes peat 
moss. That Scotland, Ireland, and the north of Eng- 
land, now so destitute of trees, were once covered like 
this country, cannot be doubted ; but there is in this 
country in some degree the appearance of newness — 
I mean that the country does not appear old enough 
in its formation of superstratum, to exhibit such con- 
firmed mosses as the Old World. The strong anti- 
septic quality of moss-water does not exist, though 
the colour is nearly the same. I well remember, a 
few miles from Killin, in Perthshire in Scotland, the 
commencement of a moss in a similar manner. 
When at Dunkeld, the head forester of the Duke of 
Athol mentioned to me a tradition that the Romans 
had burned the forests when they could advance no 
farther ; the appearance of fire is certainly not un- 
frequent in the trees dug out of the bogs.' 

As the springs of Saratoga, about sixteen miles 
above Albany, are not exactly in the route of the 
traveller to Upper Canada, and are pretty well known 
by report to tourists, we shall only mention, that . 



SARATOGA. 237 

they were originally discovered by the Indians, or 
rather by the animals who resorted to them, as 
one of the salt fountains, or 'licks,' as they are 
called, which are found in several parts of the Ame- 
rican continent, and are particularly abundant in 
Upper Canada. These springs are strongly impreg- 
nated with salts and iron in different proportions, and 
with other combinations : and of the waters of one 
of them, called ' the Congress,' and at present the 
most fashionable, an astonishing quantity is bottled, 
and sold all over the states. The original natural 
spring, called the Bound Rock Springs rises from an 
orifice in the top of a conical rock, five feet high, 
and is the greatest curiosity of the whole ; though 
now fashion, even of Yankee formation, has thought 
proper to desert it. The English tourist, who has 
time for observation, will probably find the fashion, 
such as it is that reigns here, a greater curiosity still, 
though as much to be respected in its way, perhaps, as 
the same equivocal power is in our own aristocratic 
country*. 

* The following amusing particulars of this American Chel- 
tenham, we cannot avoid giving also from Mr. Gould's clever 
Notes formerly quoted. 

'The town,* he says, *is of recent erection, and is a collec- 
tion of immensely large wooden hotels and boarding-houses, 
three stories high ; the Congress Hall is a large good-looking 
house, with a row of seventeen columns rising from a terrace or 
gallery 21 feet wide to the eaves, and forming an excellent pro- 
menade sheltered from the rain or sun; the length of its front is 
about 200 feet, with wings of 70 feet ; the columns twined 
round with some large-leaved creepers give an excellent effect. 






r 

4 •% 



238 TRAVELLING. 

Balston, eight miles from the above, ha« also a 
number of springs, rather more chalybeate than 
saline in quality, and has of late years set up as the 
rival of Saratoga. Next this town is Shenectady, 
sixteen miles from Albany* ; a respectable town on 
the Mohawk river, with a seminary of education 
called Union College, and containing not less than 
7000 inhabitants. At the confluence of the Mohawk 

This description will do for many others of the hotels. This 
house sometimes "manages" to accommodate from 400 to 500 
visitors. I afterwards found that a large hotel, with a large 
room, is one of the first requisites in the " location" of a town 
that is intended to be large. The charges of hving at these 
hotels are from eight to ten dollars per week. It is true that 
the bed-chambers are, compared to the size of a man, about as 
large as a lion's cage in a menagerie. Those who resort to the 
*' springs" appear to make the most of their time ; the early 
hours at Cheltenham are remarkable, but here they " out- 
Herod Herod." From three o'clock in the morning, pad, pad, 
pad, go the heels of the water-drinkers, along the gallery, much 
to the annoyance of more quietly-disposed patients; the water 
is drunk in larger quantities than at any of our Spas. I heard 
of one bulky old gentleman who was recommended to " drink 
plentifidly ;" accordingly, on the morning of his arrival, he 
was np with the earliest and drank with the thirstiest ; but in 
the evening, finding himself " much out of sorts," he went to 
a physician, the "smart" man of the place to whom he com- 
plained of " beitig heavy.'' " Perhaps," said the medical gen- 
tleman, "you have not taken sufficiently of the Congress,?" 
" Oh, yes, pretty considerable," was the reply. " How many 
glasses ?" — " I kept no particvdar account ; but about 35 I 
guess." — "No wonder then, my good sir, that you feel a little 
heavy," said the physician.' 

* See note F. Appendix. 



MOHAWK FALLS. 239 

river with the Hudson, there is also a pretty village, 
or rather town, called Waterford, containing about 
1400 inhabitants. Near this place, besides the town 
of Troy on the Hudson, is a sight well worthy the 
notice of the tourist, particularly if he be an amateur in 
cataracts and cascades ; namely, the cahoes, or great 
falls of the Mohawk. At these falls the river is about a 
fourth of a mile wide, and runs like an immense canal 
in a deep channel, with perpendicular sides of rock 
from 50 to 120 feet high. The fall is entirely across 
the breadth of this channel, and in one leap over 
a rounded declivity of 60 feet or more. Not far from 
hence, the great Erie canal is carried over this river 
in an aqueduct of 748 feet in length*. 

As Albany is the head-quarters for all travellers 
and tourists proceeding from the States, either to 
Upper or Lower Canada, or to the Eastern British 
Colonies, we shall add a few particulars regarding 
both of the principal routes to these provinces. To 
travellers from Britain, proceeding only to the Lower 
Province, this route has several recommendations, and 
the remainder of the journey, until the St. Lawrence 
is reached, comprehends many points of interest, and 
includes much agreeable scenery. 

Following the traveller by the latter route, at 
Albany he will proceed in a stage to Sandy-hill, 
a small town where the Hudson takes a turn west- 
ward, and where it is joined by a canal which unites 

* See note G. Appendix. 



240 TRAVELLING. 

that river with the southern end of Lake Champlain, 
at another tov,'n called White -hall. From hence, that 
is from Sandy-hill, he may proceed by one of two 
routes, either by White-hall to Ticonderogo, farther 
on ; or, taking the stage to the left, to the town of 
Caldwell, situated at the extremity of Lake George, 
he may there take- a steam-boat, which will carry 
him straight on to Ticonderogo, before mentioned, 
and thence down the whole length of Lake Champlain. 
This route is recommended to those who have a taste 
for natural beauty, as the scenery on the small lake 
George is described as exceedingly interesting. 

The historical interest connected with Ticonderogo, 
Crown Point, and other spots on the borders of Lake 
Champlain, is well known, and the English traveller 
will have little chance of remaining ignorant of the 
particulars of it, if there be any Americans in his 
company on the route. At Butlington Bay, where 
he will stop, on the right side of this delightful lake, 
stages are to be found, which will convey travellers 
across the country to the southern borders of the 
British provinces, or to Boston on the American 
coast. Proceeding on down the lake, the traveller 
enters Lower Canada, at the Isle-au-Noix, at the 
head of the Richlieu, or Sorell river ; from thence 
he is conveyed to St. John's, down the river, and 
now crosses by the stage to the St. Lawrence, which 
he meets at the Canadian town of La Prairie, oppo- 
site to the island of Montreal. 

Returning to Albany, the conveyance from it to 



DIFFERENT ROUTES. 341 

Upper Canada, is either by coaches which run from 
it to Buffalo, at the head of the Niagara river — which, 
at greater expense, make the distance in about three 
days — or by the great Erie Canal, which is much 
more tedious, but a much cheaper mode of convey- 
ance, and better suited for emigrant families of the 
poorer class, particularly if they have families and 
some luggage. Besides this, there are coaches called 
extras, exceedingly convenient for tourists, which 
may be had for any distance ; and travelling by which 
is the nearest to posting in England, of any mode to 
be had in America. The comparative cost of these 
different modes of conveyance, we shall give as we 
are enabled, further on. The tow-boats, for poorer 
travellers, go up to Troy, above Albany, where they 
meet the Erie Canal, but the usual mode for travellers 
is to take at Albany one of the stages to the town of 
Shenectady, on the canal, by which some distance is 
saved, and they can then proceed by any of the com- 
mon routes. 

To the traveller who can afford the difference of ex- 
pense it is recommended to proceed no farther on 
the canal than to Utica, eighty miles from Albany ; 
and if he wishes to see a new country in every stage 
of progress from wild forest to those staring examples 
of upstart and rude improvement, which make so 
common a feature of American scenery, he will strike 
of at Utica by coach, and proceeding through Anan- 
dago. Auburn, and Geneva, return to the canal at the 
populous town of Rochester. Thence leaving the 



242 TRAVELLING. 

canal again, he will pass through Batavia, another 
rising town, and reach Buffalo, in a comparatively 
short time, and by a route of some interest. 

To return to the bustling town of Shenectady, con- 
taining Union College, and constantly busy with 
boats and coaches, the traveller is towed along the 
canal at the rate of about three miles and a half an 
hour, on the average. ' The canal for the distance of 
twenty-six miles,' says Captain Basil Hall, ' winds 
along the base of a low and prettily-wooded bank on 
the south side of the Mohawk river. Our perpendi- 
cular height above the stream may have been thirty 
to forty feet, by which elevation we commanded a 
range of prospect both up and down, of great extent 
and variety. The Mohawk is studded with many 
islands, and long projecting, flat, wooded points, 
lying in the tortuous reaches or bendings of the 
stream. The vigour of the spring tints had not yet 
yielded to the withering effects of the fierce summer. 
Be the case as it may, I cannot conceive a more 
beautiful combination of verdure ; and as the wind- 
ings of the canal brought us in sight of fresh vistas, 
new cultivation, new villages, new bridges, new 
aqueducts, rose at every moment, mingled up with 
scattered dwellings, mills, churches, all span new. 
The scene looked really one of enchantment*.' 

The cabins in the canal barges are described as 
comfortable ; but the low bridges under which they 
have constantly to pass incommode the passengers 

* Hall's North America, vol. i. p. 119. 



UTICA. 243 

on deck, by obliging them frequently to move. Pass- 
ing an Indian village, called Coughnawaga, and also 
the little Falls of the Mohawk, the traveller comes to 
Utica, which, for the sake of the tourist, may require 
a word of description. 

' Utica,' further says the Notes with which we have 
been furnished, ' not very long since a wilderness, 
is now a " smart," bustling, large town, with a " con- 
siderable" of business and population, the latter being 
above 6,000. It is a genuine Yankee town, the lads 
all spry^ with a bit of the steam-engine in their com- 
position, and an eeliness of look in their exterior ; 
they are, in fact, the very people that travellers 
speak of, and very different from the steady in- 
inhabitants of the German Flats : they are an active, 
shrewd, guessing people, calculating how far a thing 
is likely to pay quickly, and then increasing outlay 
as the speculation succeeds. This is the sort of peo- 
ple that continue spreading themselves over the new 
western countries ; nowise nice about a particularity 
of location, if there is a prospect of getting on ; even 
the fever and ague, a sore drawback in this district, 
and indeed in nearly all the new settled countries, 
does not deter them.' Near this place is also to be 
seen the Trenton Falls, which are worthy the atten- 
tion of tourists, furnished, as usual in America, with 
a Bar, or drinking-place, in one of the most romantic 
situations on the cataract, ' to the utter ruin,' says 
Captain Hall, ' of the unhappy sublime and beautiful.' 

As the route along the canal from this place to the 

r2 



244 TRAVELLING. 

next town on it, named Syracuse, is described as 
*flat and unprofitable,' we follow the tourist, wlio 
diverges through Anandago and Brutus to Auburn, 
remarkable as containing the flimous state prison for 
solitary confinement, in which our last informant found 
about 600 prisoners. Travellers will visit this prison, 
if possible. It is an imposing building, standing on 
five acres of ground. The punishment, as is generally 
known, is a kind of solitary, dumb working employ- 
ment, — for although the prisoners work within sight, 
not a word is allowed to be spoken ; and after their 
labours they are led back to their separate cells of 
seven feet long by seven feet high, and only three 
feet and a half wide, and a space of ten feet to the air. 
To this horrid place none are sent for a shorter period 
than three years and a day, while some are doomed 
to its cells for life. The village is described as pretty, 
and the road near it is Macadamised, — a very unusual 
gratification to a traveller in America. 

This interesting route leads, aftervvards, over the 
end of a beautiful sheet of water, forty miles long, 
named the Cayugua lake, by a wooden bridge of a mile 
and a quarter in length ; after which the traveller 
reaches the Seneca Falls, or, more properly. Rapids, 
on another lake named after the sage ; and thence, 
passing through the newly set-up town of Waterloo, 
makes a halt at the beautiful town of Geneva. Not 
less delightfully situated, than pretty in itself, this 
town seems to differ from most American villages by 
the neat cottage-style of its houses, and the numerous 



GENEVA. 245 

gardens, and the profusion of flowers and shrubs with 
which they are ornamented. Here broad streets, and 
the evidences of weakh, cause this place and its vicinity 
to be viewed with pleasure by the passing traveller. 

This, for many miles, the reader will observe, is the 
Genessee country ; and in all the inns along the road, 
says Mr. Gould's Notes, are advertisements of lands 
for sale, many stated as being good, to the west of 
Genessee river, at three dollars per acre ; one-third to 
be paid for in grain, stock, horses, &c. ; of the re- 
mainder, five per cent, to be paid in advance, and the 
balance in ten years, three years of it without interest. 
Large tracts of land are purchased by companies of 
speculators, and thus sold out. 

Canandaguia, a little beyond Geneva, and 29 miles 
from Rochester, is situated upon a cultivated slope, 
at the foot of which is a lake, several miles in circum- 
ference, and encircled with pretty cottages and rich 
forests. This town is about a mile long, consisting of 
one broad and picturesque street, with two rows of 
poplars on each side ; and having a beautiful church 
at one end, with other public buiklings. The popula- 
tion of this place is 2,000, and of its general appear- 
ance Dr. Howison says, ' It is difficult for description 
to do justice to its surpassing beauty and fascinating 
elegance.' The country here is very fertile, and well 
cleared. 

Passing Fort Hill, on the crown of which is the re- 
mains of one of those ancient circular fortifications, 
which are to be found both in Upper Canada, near the 



246 TRAVELLING. 

Rice Lake, and various other parts of Northern Ame- 
rica, and the origin of which is still a subject of much 
controversy, the traveller arrives at Pittsford, and next 
gets back to the Erie canal, at the remarkable town 
of Rochester. 

Rochester, which has recently risen out of the wil- 
derness, is 85 miles from Lewistown, on the Niagara ; 
and, from various causes, is the theme of most 
tourists travelling this way. ' As this place,' says our 
Notes formerly quoted, ' in its rise, progress, and pre- 
sent extent, is one of the wonders of the world, it will 
require a more minute description than I have thought 
necessary in my notice of most other places I have 
visited. Although now called the fifth town in the 
state of New York, containing above 11,000 inha- 
bitants, not one adult, is a native of the place the first 
child born in it was in the year 1810 ; of its present 
population, about 5,000 are under fourteen years 
of age. 

* This town owes its greatness and its celebrity to 
superb waterfalls on the Genessee river, to the grand 
Erie canal passing through it, and its proximity to 
lake Ontario, to which sloops can approach within 
two miles and a half ; by these water- conveyances it 
has cheap transport to the great western lakes, to 
Canada, and to Albany, and New York. The Erie 
canal crosses the river on a well-built aqueduct of 
stone, 800 feet long on ten arches. It is 218 miles 
from Albany and 8 from lake Ontario. The canal, 
which is fed from the river, is 501 feet above the 



ROCHESTER. 247 

level of the Hudson near Albany, where the tide 
reaches ; it is 270 feet above lake Ontario and 64 
feet below lake Erie. There are two falls of the 
river, one of 12 feet, the other of 97 feet, which must, 
before they were obscured by building, have been a 
most magnificent sight. The river is about 400 feet 
wide, and now supplies, through canals from the high 
level, 20,000 cubic feet of water per minute, equal to 
38,400 horses' power. The fall on the river, within 
two and a half, is 226 feet. There are three bridges 
across the river, the longest of which I found to be 
about 480 feet ; it is carried on a level over the river 
about 480 feet, and then rises at a considerable angle 
to cross a canal and towing-path. In American lan- 
guage, this is called " w^ater privilege," and a noble 
privilege it is to the proprietors. I was informed at 
one of the factories that a fifty feet frontage of the 
river pays 3000 dollars, or 67 5Z. for the location, for 
which a supply of water from the canal or race is 
granted ; and, from the nature of the situation, it is 
possible to use the same three times over.' 

The principal object, however, that travellers 
admire here is Clyde bridge in the neighbour- 
hood, which. Dr. Howison visited when passing this 
way, and speaks of with his usual enthusiasm. He 
says, ' I next strolled about two miles out of town, that 
I might survey Clyde bridge, or rather the ruins of it; 
for half of this magnificent structure fell several weeks 
before I arrived at Rochester. The bridge which was 
built of wood, and consisted of a single arch, was 



248 TRAVELLING. 

thrown across the Genessee river, for the purpose of 
opening a nearer route between Canandaguia and 
Lewiston. 

' * Clyde bridge, when entire, formed a piece of archi- 
tecture which was altogether unrivalled by any thing 
of a similar kind in Europe or America. The span 
of the arch was 352 feet, and the height of its summit 
above the surface of the river 196 feet. The bridge 
itself was 718 long, and 30 wide; and though the 
whole structure contained more than 130,000 feet of 
timber, it was completed by twenty workmen in the 
space of nine months. 

' The road I took led me to the edge of the cliffs 
that confine the Genessse river. This stream roared 
ninety feet beneath me ; and a half arch stretched far 
above my head, as it were " suspended in mid air ;" 
while on the opposite cliffs, heaps of planks, shattered 
beams, and massy supporters, lay in horrible confu- 
sion, being the remains of tliat part of the structure 
which had fallen. Nothing can exceed the exquisite, 
the elegant, proportions, and the aerial magnificence, 
of that half of the bridge which is still entire. Its 
complicated architecture, the colossal span of its arch, 
its appalling height above the surface of the water, 
and the noble scenery around, fill the mind with 
astonishment. A little way up the river, the lesser 
Genessee falls rush over broken rocks ; while the 
woods which bound the prospect on all sides, and 
darkly overshadow the hoary cliffs, communicate a 
wildness to the scene, that makes the imaginative 



GENESSEE COUNTRY. 249 

spectator almost believe that the bridge above him 
has been raised by the spells of a magician, rather 
than by the hands of man ''^.' 

During all this long route, the scenery presents the 
same characteristics as that of the partly cleared 
and settled tracts of Upper Canada, — namely, long 
portions of monotonous, if not gloomy forest, partial 
patches of cleared land, and lonesome log-houses ; 
staring newly-raised villages and towns, with all 
their half completed improvements, lively bustle, 
trade and warehouses ; magnificent lakes and beauti- 
ful peeps of wild scenery ; and more variety of aspect 
and effect, than any description could convey an 
idea of. From Rochester to Lewiston on the Ame- 
rican frontier, the road is dull, but on crossing the 
Niagara, the view of the stupendous falls makes 
up for everything, and, to some minds, the leisurely 
contemplation of this awful scene seems to make 
them acquainted with new secrets in, and to give them 
new sympathies with, nature. 

* Upper Canada, p. 286. 



TRAVELLING. 



Part III.— EXPENSES, DISTANCES, &c. 

As the cost of travelling and of living, at the several 
ports of the Canadas, or the route towards them, is a 
matter of importance, particularly to emigrants of the 
poorer class, as well as, perhaps, to tourists and tra- 
vellers for pleasure, we have collected together, and 
put in a tabular form, as much information upon this 
subject, as well as that of the relative distances of 
places, as seems necessary to satisfy inquirers. 

In the first place, though the passage from England 
is, to poor persons, generally stated now at 3/., or 
under, that of a better class of persons, who take the 
cabin of ships, is by no means so liable to a general 
rule ; but is in every case determined entirely by the 
nature of the accommodation that the ship-master can 
offer, and other circumstances. Passages, therefore, 
including the general run of the cabin provisions, are, 
excepting as relates to the regular packet-ships, ob- 
tained at all prices, from 10/. to 20/. a head; and the 
terms and accommodations for individuals and families 
are entirely regulated by the pains-taking inquiries 
and good sense of the several parties. In all cases, 
however, where provisions are stipulated for by pas- 



PASSAGE OUT. 251 

sengers, the run of the ship should by no means be 
trusted to, particularly when sea-sickness, &c. may 
be naturally expected; for however well-intending 
the captain may be, the habits and wants of sea-faring 
men are not of a nature to qualify them to judge of 
what is necessary or proper for land-reared people*. 

When the emigrant arrives at Quebec or Montreal, 
he will be enabled to board and lodge in the best hotels 
or boarding houses for a dollar a day, or about 30s. 
a week. All shades of prices under this will be taken 
at lower houses, as persons can afford it ; but all 
classes of intended colonists, who require to economise, 
cannot be too frequently warned against suffering 
themselves to be persuaded by the cupidity of those 
with whom they lodge, as is often done, to linger any 
time in the frontier towns ; and thus waste their time 

* Though, upon the subject of preparation for emigration, we 
have already, in the Appendix, given, from several authorities, 
the most ample directions, the following suggestions of Mr. 
MGregor, the latest writer on this point, seem so rational and 
valuable, that we still add them in this place, ' Farmers or 
labourers going to America,' he says, ' should carry out with 
them, if their means will admit, as much clothing, bedding, 
and linen as may be necessary for four or five years ; some 
leather, one or two sets of light cart harness, two or three spades 
or shovels, scythes, sickles, hoes, ploughsj traces, the iron-work 
of a plough and harrow, of the common kind used in Scotland; 
the cast machinery for a corn fan, cooking utensils, a few door 
hinges, and a small assortment of nails. Furniture, or any 
other kind of wooden work, will only incommode them, as what 
may be necessary can easily be procured, at moderate rates, in 
America.' — British America, vol i. p. 456. 



252 TRAVELLING. 

and spend their money to no purpose. Here it is 
certain they will obtain no information of any value 
about land, &c., compared to what they will meet with 
up the country, or back into the interior, or what they 
may previously know themselves, by studying the to- 
pographical reports in this book. 

With respect to emigrants in general, they will be 
surrounded on the wharfs, &c. by land agents and 
other scheming persons, who, by false representations, 
will endeavour to persuade the stranger from his in- 
tended route, into the United States behind. Such 
persons should, on no account, be listened to; and 
indeed all representations made by native Americans 
should be received by British emigrants with great 
suspicion ; for it is the trade, as it is the boast, of 
those who are prowling about, under various cha- 
racters, to cheat, for their own profit, a British subject. 
As for the advantages held out by the United States, 
not at present to go into the particulars of the sub- 
ject, to the ordinary emigrant they bear no propor- 
tion, in real value, to those before him in either of the 
Canadas. This point, however, and all other matters 
of inquiry, will be settled at once, by reference to 
Mr. Buchanan, the Government agent, at Quebec ; 
Mr. Davidson, the Canada Company's agent, at 
the same place ; Messrs. Hart, Logan and Co., 
Montreal; or any other intelligent gentleman con- 
nected with the colonial interests, who will always be 
willinor to give advice and information to the well- 



GENERAL CAUTIONS. 253 

With respect to travelling to the Upper Province, 
to those persons who are not under the care of the 
Canada Company, and may wish to join their friends, 
the only general direction necessary is, that they take 
care to make themselves well acquainted with the 
situation of the spot they mean to go to, to avoid 
unnecessary trouble and expense, and particularly to 
save land -carriage, where water-carriage can be had. 
Pickering relates that he met poor emigrants meaning 
to go to Talbot Street, on the borders of Lake Erie, 
who instead of going by Queenston, Chippawa, and 
that lake, by water, where themselves and their lug- 
gage would have been set down within eight miles of 
their destination, they had, for want of that geogra- 
phical knowledge which we have so much insisted on, 
suffered themselves to be persuaded to go to Burling- 
ton, at the head of the Ontario, where they would 
have to drag their luggage a good hundred miles 
across the ill-made roads of a new country. 

Upon the general subject of the expense of pro- 
ceeding to the more western districts of the Upper 
Province, we have the following information, pub- 
lished by authority of the Canada Company, as suited 
to the circumstances of emigrants with small means, 
who will, in general, find it their interest to put them- 
selves under the protection of a public association; 
and the judicious arrangements of the Canada Com- 
pany, and the inducements they hold out to in- 
dustrious colonists are well known. 

' From Quebec to Montreal, steam-boats ply daily. 



254 TRAVELLING. 

during the summer ; and the pasasge on deck is one to 
one dollar and a half, or 4s. 6d. to 6s. 9d. sterling. 
From Montreal to York, in Upper Canada, or to 
any place on the shore of lake Ontario, through means 
of the arrangements already mentioned to have been 
made by the company, emigrants recommended to the 
agent in Montreal will be conveyed for five dollars, 
or 22s. 6d. sterling each, exclusive of provisions, 
which may cost from two to three dollars more ; so 
that from the port of embarkation in the United 
Kingdom, to the seat of government in Upper Canada, 
the whole expense may he estimated at about ten 
pounds each for adults^ and six for children. 

* No heavy or cumbrous baggage ought to be taken, 
— household furniture, iron utensils, implements of 
husbandry, — in short, all articles of considerable bulk 
or weight will cost, in freight and carriage, more than 
the expense of replacing them in Upper Canada; 
besides the trouble of their conveyance, the risk of 
damage, and the danger of articles carried from Eng- 
land or Ireland being found unsuited for use in 
America. The baggage of emigrants should consist 
only of their wearing apparel, with such bedding and 
utensils for cooking as may be required on the voyage ; 
and any articles of clothing not intended to be used at 
sea, ought to be packed in water-tight cases or trunks, 
not exceeding eighty or ninety pounds in weight. 

' The journey or inland voyage from New York 
to lake Ontario, and especially to lake Erie, is per- 
formed in less time than from Montreal : and emi- 



CANADA COMPANY. 255 

grants recommended to the Company's agent at 
New York, will obtain passage-tickets at the same 
rate as from Montreal, being five dollars each ; but 
the passage from the United Kingdom to New York, 
is more costly than that to Quebec, besides that 
passengers are not permitted to land at New York, 
until security be given that, for a specific time, they 
shall not become burdensome on public charity ; so 
that the route by the St. Lawrence, although more 
circuitous, and perhaps tedious, is certainly the most 
eligible for those emigrants who have large families, 
and who wish to proceed at the smallest possible 
expense.' 

But to those who mean to purchase lands from the 
Company, all care upon the subject of travelling ex- 
penses is obviated by a liberal and proper arrange- 
ment, which is published for the information of emi- 
grants, as follows : — 

'The Company's agents, on the arrival of emi- 
grants at Quebec or Montreal, will, for the season of 
1832, convey them,yree of expense, to York, or the 
head of lake Ontario, which is in the vicinity of their 
choicest lands, provided the emigrants pay a first in^ 
stalment in London, Quebec, or Montreal, of two 
shillings an acre, upon not less than one hundred 
acres ; and the Company's agents, in all parts of the 
Upper Province, will give such emigrants every in- 
formation and assistance in their power. Should 
emigrants, on arrival at York, not settle on the Com- 



256 TRAVELLING. 

pany*s lands, the money paid by tliem will be returned, 
deducting tlie actual expense of conveyance.' 

To emigrants, however, with other views, either 
with reference to the Lower or Upper Province ; to 
proposed travellers, tourists, or others ; as the question 
of expense in general, and of, in particular, the com- 
parative expense of proceeding to either province by 
the way of St. Lawrence, or New York, the Erie 
canal, &c., maybe cf importance, we subjoin as gene- 
ral a view of the subject as we have been enabled to 
condense into the annexed form. 

TRAVELLING FARES. 

In the Camadas, above Quebec. By Steam-boais. 

Cabin with Deck or Number 

From Quebec to Montreal, ^°'''^- ^'""^s^- °^^^"^^- 
time SO hours, average £ 1 10 ]0 180 

From Montreal to Quebec, 

24 hours, average . .15 7 6 

Freight* of goods per ton 
upwards, to Montreal, 1 Os. 

Freight of goods per ton 
dovv'nwards to Quebec, 
7s. 6d. 

* Between Montreal and Quebec, there are two Companies in 
the carrying trade, who oppose each other so strongly, that they 
have been known to carry passengers in the cabin, and board 
them elegantly for 7x. 6rf., while deck passengers were conveyed 
the whole 180 miles, for Gd, — Vide Pickering, p. 117. 



TRAVELLING FARES. 257 



Palim Deck or Number 

^^'"°- Steerage. of Miles, 

These rates, however, vary- 
occasionally*. Pickering 
states that he came clown 
from Montreal to Quebec, 
in the John. Molson 
steamer, leaving at eight 
o'clock, and arriving at 
three the second morning, 
and boarded for . . ^0 18 0. .0 0..180 

Also higher up, viz.^ from 

Montreal to Prescott, 

through La Chine, Lake 

St. Louis, Coteau du 

Lac, Lake St. Francis, and 

Cornwall, by steam and 

stages, in nearly two days, 

without board . . '. 1 16 0..0 0. . 127 
From Prescott to Mon- 
treal, downwards, by do. 1 11 6. .0 0.. 

From and to the above places, 

if the traveller chooses to 

risk himself on the cele- 
brated rapids, in a batteau, 

or Canadian boat, which 

shoots at great speed down 

the St. Lawrence, and is 

an interesting sail to all 

whose nerves are good, 

the passage may be had 

for a dollar . . . . 0. . 4 6. . 
By the Durham boats, or 

batteaux, common emi- 
grants may get from Mon- 

* From competition, and therefore no^xed rates can be given. 

S 



258 TRAVELLING FARES. 

Cabin vrith Deck or Number 

Board. Steerage. of Miles. 

treal to Prescott, for one 
dollar a head, without 
board, (time four to five 
days,) or one and a half 
dollars, say . . . £0 0. . 6 9. . 127 

Between Prescott and King- 
ston 15 0. .0 0. . 62 

Between Kingston and York, 

(or Niagara). . . .2 0. . 13 6. . 166 

Between Prescott and Nia- 
gara . . c . . 2 10 0. .0 0. .230 

Between York and Niagara, 
across the lake in four 
hours 10 0. . 4 6. . 36 

But by Durham boats, which 
is the cheapest mode of 
making the journey, tlie 
total expense for an emi- 
grant family, from Mon- 
treal to York, including 
provisions, Mr. Buchanan 
states at about 3/. 15s .0 0. . 0.. 355 

By New York and Albany, to Upper or Lower 
Canada^. 

From New York to Albany, 
in the large steam-boats — 
the whole passage often 
made in 11 or 12 hours — 
the board only costing a 

dollar additional . .0 9 0. . 0. , 150 
"" ^e paper H; Appendix. 



TRAVELLING FARES. 259 

Cabin without Deck or Number 

Board. Steerage, of Miles. 

From * New York to Albany, 

in towed boats . . '£0 4 6..0 

From Albany to Utica, in 

ditto, ditto . . . . 9 0. . 0. . 108 

From t Albany to Rochester, 
through Utica, in fifty-three 
hours, is 13 6. . 0. . 269 

From Rochester to Voungs- 

town, on the Niagara .0 4 6..0 0. . 80 

Children under 12 years of 
age, half-price, infants 
gratis. Baggage, above a 
moderate quantity, 4s. 6d. 
per cwt. 

From Albany to Montreal, 
in Lower Canada, by stage 
and steam, travelling in 
the best manner, and in- 
cluding living, may be 
stated in round numbers, 
at 4Z 0. . 0. . 200 

From Albanv to the Falls of 



*In this species of conveyance, tlie passenger carries his own 
provisions, and it may be calculated as taking 24 hours. 

f ' At Albany, you take the canal boats, which are drawn 
by horses, those who wish for comfort, will go by the packet- 
hne, the charge is very reasonable, 2|- cents per mile, and 
boarded; the merchant-line does it at 1 cent per mile, 
and charge for meals, or you may take your own. It cost me, 
to travel near 300' miles, with five aduhs, three children, and 
near two tons of luggage, 9^. 15*. 7d: — Cattermole. p. 72. 
This was from Albany to Rochester, 269 miles, and seems to 
have cost thus, about 30s. a head, for the men, 15s. a head for 
the children, and 20s. for the baggage. 

s 2 



260 TRAVELLING FARES. 



Cabm with Deck or Number 

Board. Steerasre. of Miles. 



Niagara, through Utica, 
or Syracuse, and thence 
by coach, round by Au- 
burn, Geneva, &c., to Ro- 
chester ; and thence by 
Batavia to Lewistown, or 
Buffalo, on the Niagara, 
by boat and stages, with 
living, in the best man- 
ner, about 4/. 10s. . .0 0..0 0..365 

But for emigrants proceeding to the Upper 
Province, as the comparative cost by the routes of 
New York, and the St. Lawrence, is a matter of im- 
portance to the poorer class of emigrants *, we add 
what Pickering, who travelled both ways, states it to 
have cost him ; viz. : 

Passage by New York, to Upper Canada. 

From Liverpool in steerage . . <£ 4 

Provisions for nine weeks . . ,309 

To Albany in steam-boat, two trunks, and 

provisions . . . . .069 

From Albany in canal-boat, to Buffaloe, 

provisions, &c. . . . . .206 

By schooner to any part of the Canada shore, 
or Lake Erie, or Ontario, three dollars, 
provisions one dollar . . . . 18 

Waiting for conveyances, and incidental ex- 
penses, four dollars . . , . 18 



^U 4 

* See also p. 34, Introduction. 



TRAVELLING FARES. 261 

Passage by Quebec to Upper Canada. 

From Hull to Quebec, in the steerage . £4: 
Eight weeks' provisions (only six in coming) 3 4 
From Quebec to Montreal, in steam-boat, 
two dollars ; to Prescott, in Durham boats, 
two dollars ; to Queenston, in steam-boat, 
four dollars ; and provision for three 
weeks, while coming up, four dollars .2140 

£9 18 



From each of these amounts, may be deducted about 
IZ., as the passage-money out, by either route, need 
not be calculated at this time at more than 3/., and in 
some cases less. 

As the objects of curiosity to tourists and travellers^ 
by either of these routes, and of interest to the colo- 
nist in either province, are too numerous and exten- 
sive to be particularly noticed here, we have col- 
lected, from various original sources, the following 
particulars of the great public works of Canada ; the 
lakes, distances, &c., beginning with certain measure- 
ments of the Erie Canal, the Falls of Niagara, &c. 

THE ERIE CANAL. 

On a marble tablet^ which is placed on the front of 
the upper lock of the Erie Canal, where it crosses 
the ridge between Rochester and Lockport, is the 
following inscription, which may be deemed authentic. 
— ' The Erie Canal, 363 miles in length, was com- 



262 THE ERIE CANAL. 

menced 4tli July, 1817, and completed in tlie year 
1825, at at expense of about 7,000,000 dollars, which 
was contributed exclusively by the state of New 
York.' 

Transcribing^ this for the sake of clearness, viz., 

Length of the Erie Canal, from Albany 

to Buffaloe .... 363 miles. 

Number of locks, each 90 feet long, by 

15 wide 83 

Rise and fall of the canal, by means of 

these locks 688 feet. 

Real fall from Lake Erie, to the tide of 

the Hudson River 
Width of the canal at the surface 
Width of the canal at the bottom 
Number of aqueducts 
The longest at Rochester, across the 

Genessee River, is . . . 

The next across the Mohawk River, is . 
And the third longest, at the Little Falls 

on ditto, is . . . . . 170 „ 

FALLS OF NIAGARA. 

Extent of the Horse-shoe Fall, on the Bri- ^eet. 

tish side 2,100 

Breadth of Goat Island, between it and the 

American Fall . . . .980 

American Falls in breadth . . . 1140 



504 


>» 


40 


?» 


28 


j» 


18 




804 feet. 


748 


»» 



The whole extent .... 4,220. . 
.... or full three-quarters of a mile. ■ 



FALLS OF NIA<JARA. 



263 



Height of the Horse-shoe Fall 

Height of the American Falls 

Extent of the cave beneath the Horse-shoe 
Fall, from the outside, to the Termination 
Rock 

Height of the cave is estimated by Cap- 
tain Hall at . 

The estimated quantity of water discharged 
over the falls, is calculated at 18,524,000 
cubic feet, or 113,510,000 gallons per 
minute. 

Depth of the river above the Falls, as near 



Feet. 

150 
168 



153 



100 



as they can 


be approach 


ed, about 


. 200 


Breadth of the 


river at the 


ferry 


. 1170 




THE GREAT LAKES. 




VIZ. THE ( 


Srcatest Length. 
Miles 


Greatest Breadth. 
Miles. 


Average Depth 
Feet- 


Ontario . 


. 180 . 


. . 40 . 


. . 500 


Erie . . 


. 270 . 


. . 80 . 


. . 200 


Huron . 


. 250 . 


. . 100 . 


. . 900 


Superior 


. 360 . 


. . 140 . 


. . 900 



Of these, the surface of the Lake Superior has 
been calculated to be 1048 feet above the level of 
the high tide of the sea, Lake Huron 570 feet above 
ditto. Lake Erie is 330 feet above Lake Ontario, 
and 566 feet above the Hudson at Albany. The 
Ontario is 218 feet above the St. Lawrence, at Three 
Rivers. 

THE ST. LAWRENCE. 

Lake Superior, being the real head of this great 
river, the distance from Cape Chat — which f 



264 THE CANALS. 



Miles. 



is 100 miles above Cape Rosier, where its 
mouth may, in reahty, be deemed to com- 
mence — to the head of that lake, is calculated 
to be not less than . . . 2120 

Breadth of the mouth of the river at Cape 

Rosier . . . . .80 

Breadth at Cape Chat . . .40 

Breadth at Kamarouska, where its waters are 
perfectly fresh, and its average depth twelve 
fathoms . . . .20 



Mile?. Feet. 



THE WELLAND CANAL, 

Uniting Lakes Erie and Ontario to avoid 
the falls of the Niagara, in Upper Ca- 
nada, is in length, about . . 42 

Level of Lake Erie above Lake Ontario, 

which is descended here by 37 locks . — 330 

Length of the locks, their breadth being 

22 feet . . . . — 100 

Width of the canal at the surface of the 

water . . . . — 56 

Width at the bottom . . . — 2<3 

Depth of water . . . — 8 J 

Anticipated cost of the whole when 
finished, 270,000/. sterling. 

THE RIDEAU CANAL, 

Between Kingston on the St. Lawrence, 
and By-Town on the Ottawa, is in 
length, inclusive of the numerous lakes 
and dams of which a great part of it is 
made up, Rideau Lake, about its centre, 
being 24 miles in length, and at a 



THE CANALS. 265 

Miles. Feet. 

summit level above the surface of the 
waters of the Ottawa on one side 283 
feet, and those of Lake Ontario on the 
other side 154 feet . . 135 

Number of locks, 142 feet long by 33 
wide, 47. 

Depth of water . . . — 5 

Number of dams, 20. 

Calculated expense of this enormous 
work, payable out of the British re- 
venue, above 500,000/. 

THE GRENVILLE CANAL, 

Eunnino^ along the southern border of 
the Ottawa, for the avoiding of its 
rapids, and carried on in three sections, 
namely, opposite the Long Sauit Ra- 
pids, the Chute a Blondeau, and the 
Carrillon Eapids ; particulars of length 
not given, but the width at the surface 
of the water . . . — 48 

Depth of water . * — 5 

Width at bottom . . — 28 

LA CHINE CANAL, 

From Montreal City to the village of 
Upper La Chine, along the side of 
the St. Lawrence, to avoid a most 
picturesque rapid, or rather cascade, 
called the Sault St. Louis : length about 8 
Width at the surface of the water . — 48 

Depth of water . . . — 5 

Width at bottom . . — 28 

Cost nearly amounting to 130^000/. 



266 



DISTANCES. 

The following is a table, giving a comprehensive 
view of the distances of the different principal towns, 
from Quebec upwards through the lakes, and from 
each other, namel}^, — 

Miles. Miles. 

^Quebec to the Town of Three Rivers direct, . 90 
. . and from Tln-ee Rivers to Montreal 90 .. 180 

Montreal . . Cornwall 78 .. 258 

Cornwall . . Prescott 49 .. 307 

Prescott . . Brockville12 .. 319 

Brockville . . Kingston 50 .. 369 

Kingston . . Bellville 56 .. 425 

Bellville . . PortHope 50 .. 475 

Port Hope . . York . 60 .. 535 

York . . DuNDAs 45 .. 580 

Dundas . . Niagara 54 .. 634 

Niagara . . Fort Erie 33 .. 667 

Thus, from Quebec to York, with these stoppages, 
is 535 miles, and going round by these towns at the 
head of Burlington Bay, would make the distance 
sailed 634. miles, before the vessel reached Niagara ; 
whereas, to proceed direct from Quebec to Niagara, 
the distance would be no more than 565 miles ; and 
even to cross the Lake, a distance of 36 miles, after 
reaching York, this number being added to the 535 
miles, would only make this distance, taking this 
round about 571 miles. 

* These distances are taken part from the Canada Com- 
pany's tables, on their Map, as considered the most authentic. 



UPPER CANADA. 267 

Again, taking the land route from York, along the 
road called Dundas Street, to Amherstburg, on the 
banks of the Detroit River, the most considerable, as 
it is the most westerly town in the upper part of the 
province, the intermediate distances will stand thus : — 

lORK to jVIiles. Miles. 

Dundas and through Mill Creek direct 42 

and from Dundas . to Grand River 21 .. 63 
. . . . Gnmd River. . Oxford . 40 .. 103 

. . Oxford . . Chatham . 69 .. 172 

. . . , Chatham . . Sandwich 60 .. 232 

.. Sandwich . . AmherstburgIS .. 250 

Considering these statements of distances as useful, 
we shall add another on the Ottawa, begining at 
Montreal where it joins the St. Lawrence, up to Hull 
and By-Town. 

Montreal to miies. waes. 

St. Eustache . . 21 

., and from St.Eustache to Chatham 27.. 48 

Chatham . . Petite Nation 42 .. 90 

Petite Nation. Hull . 34 .. 124 

Thus Hull, by adding 180 miles to 124, is distant 
304 miles from Quebec. 

With respect to the quality of the roads for kind 
travelling, considering the way they are made, par- 
ticularly when the ground is soft and sv/ampy, as 
much of it is, they must be, to an Englishman, very- 
bad ; and thus are universally described as exceedingly 



268 TRAVELLING. ! 

uneven, disagreeable, and shaking to the bones of 
those who proceed over them in the ordinary ve- 
hicles that are used in the inner parts of the country : 
though some say they can find them tolerable by use, 
and get accustomed to be occasionally capsized into 
a slough. Mactaggart describes them as ' infernal ;' 
and Captain Hall, who travelled in summer along the 
side of the Ontario, in the interior, is scarcely less 
severe upon these ' horrible corduroy roads,' though 
the gratification he felt at the occasional sight of new 
and comfortable settlements in the forests, wliere he 
even met with houses surrounded by verandahs and 
flower-shrubs, and furnished inside with comfortable 
furniture, carpets, and piano-fortes* ; together with 
occasional peeps of nature's beauty, which relieved 
the gloomy monotony of the woods, compensated, in 
some degree, for the tedious trouble and dislocating 
jolting of the journey t- 

* North America, vol. i. p. 274, &c. 

f As the clearing and forming of roads makes no small part 
of the labour of the poorer colonist, we add, from Pickering, a 
practical man, the plan he took for this kind of work, in the 
neighbourhood of Port Talbot, where he was settled : — 

' On first making roads through flat swampy places, logs are 
cut about ten or twelve feet long, laying them crosswise, side by 
side, through the above places, which as they are left round, and 
little or no dirt upon them, are abominably rough; but along 
the "street" they are getting them up, and ploughing the sides, 
and with a kind of large shovel, having a handle, (called a 
scraper,) and a yoke of oxen, the dirt is drawn into the centre 
and rounded, which is called '• turnpiking." Four men and two 
yoke of oxen — one yoke and two men to plough, and the other 
to scrape, will do as much work in this way, where there are 



ROADS. 269 

It is for this reason that water-carriage, convenient 
to his settlement, is in all cases an advantage of such 
importance to the colonist, as well as that the hard 
weather of winter is universally chosen for the pur- 
poses of travelling. Besides the softness and badness 
of the roads, through great part of the warm season, 
the spring and summer being the seasons of busy oc- 
cupation. Winter, when the snow is on the ground, 
is the great^period for Canadian locomotion ; then the 
sleighs, the traineaux, or the carioles, — all different 
modifications of the simple sledge, — are ' rigged,' 
the cattle are put to them, and the Canadian colonist, 
well invested with furs, buffalo robes, or bear-skins, re- 
joices in his snows like a Laplander, and setting forth in 
defiance of the frost, glides pleasantly over roads that 
in summer are impassable, visits all his friends, and 
transacts all his exterior business, and duly laments 
when the ice breaks up, and his beloved snow is gone. 

no obstructions, as fifteen or twenty men in the same time, by 
the ordinary way of digging. The bottoms of the canals are 
often done the same way, and always ploughed, I believe ; and 
in that case shovelled into carts, or wheelbarrowS; seldom or 
ever^dug.' — Pickering, p. 68. 



CLIMATE OF BOTH PROVINCES. 



In all the inquiries that have been made regarding 
North America, and particularly the Canadas, in the 
view of Colonization, few points have been esteemed 
of more importance than the one of chmate. This 
was naturally to be expected, as well from the observed 
peculiarities presented by the climate of the transat- 
lantic countries, as from the known influence of the 
atmosphere, not only in favouring or retarding the 
productiveness of any soil, but in materially affecting 
the disposition to industry and enterprise in individuals, 
and in general the liappiness as well as the duration 
of human life. 

The general salubrity of the climate of Upper and 
Lower Canada is already sufficiently well known in 
this country, as well as the ordinary qualities that 
distinguish these regions, in respect of heat and cold, 
from England and other European countries at the 
same distance north of the equator. A clear and 
light atmosphere, which has an exhilarating effect 
upon the spirits, — cloudless skies and a dry air, fogs 
being in'Canada almost entirely unknown, — hard and 
steady frosts in winter, strong heat in summer, and a 
dehcious mildness in the pleasing period of autumn— 



CLIMATE OF BOTH FE.OVIXCES. 271 

all make up a climate universally praised by those 
who have had long experience of it. 

What the cause is of that vivid lightness of the 
air, and that beautiful clearness of sky both by day 
and by night, which is so agreeable a pecuharity in 
the climate of this country which yet presents so 
vast a surface of inland water, swamp, and forest, is 
not at all well known, no more than is the cause of its 
other distinguishing feature, namely, that the maxi- 
mums of heat and of cold respectively are much 
greater here than in any of the European countries 
in the same latitude. Extremes of temperature are 
justly, perhaps, considered as in general unfavourable 
to health and the feeling of enjoyment, yet from the 
influence probably of the other peculiarity just ad- 
verted to, these extremes experienced in the Canadas, 
have not there, as appears from general testimony, the 
same effects upon the mind and body, as they would 
have in countries possessing a climate or atmosphere 
of the European character. 

Though the inhabitants of this country are all, of 
course, originally from the old continents, the habits 
which circumstances have caused ihem to form, are 
remarkably well adapted to the differences of the cli- 
mate, or at least to make them feel less the severity 
of the Canadian' winter, which indeed, as they in 
general employ themselves, is hailed rather as the 
season of increased enjoyment, than dreaded as the 
same degree of cold would be in Europe. Agricul- 
tural labours being at this season suspended, the 



272 CLIMATE 

roads being hardened by the frost, and the rivers and 
lakes in general covered with ice, the sleigh or the 
cariole is got ready all over the country, and now 
riding abroad upon business or pleasure commences ; 
visits are paid by friends or neighbours, opening both 
provinces to each other by a simultaneous movement ; 
so that the season is, by this agreeable custom, often 
made to resemble rather a sort of busy jubilee than 
the period of dreary seclusion that we should otherwise 
suppose it. AVrapped in furs and warm clothing, and 
seated in their sleighs drawn by a single pair of 
horses, the farmer and his wife will travel over the 
snow sixty or seventy miles a day with but little 
fatigue ; and what with the bracing clearness of the 
winter air, the cloudlessness of the skies, the pictu- 
resque appearance often exhibited by the ice- crys- 
tallized forests, the rapidity of the movement, and the 
great numbers of equipages and vehicles of all sorts 
to be met with on the ordinary roads, conveying 
persons similarly employed at this time of the year, 
this kind of pastime is universally represented as 
most agreeable. Thus in estimating the quality 
of a winter season, or the comparative merits pre- 
sented by the Upper and Lower Provinces, the 
hardness of the winter weather and its duration, for 
the convenience of travelling, are, by many, esteemed 
rather as advantages to be desired, than evils to be 
dreaded. 

' It is generally conceived in England,' says Mr. 
Mactaggart, ' that the long snowy winter acts 



OF BOTH PROVINCES. 273 

against Canada; nothing can be farther wrong 
than this idea. The farmer requires it all ; and the 
lover thinks it much too short, for it is only in the 
sleighing season that he has a chance of seeing his 
mistress.' ' Along the margin of the lakes,' he adds, 
in another place, ' the snow does not lie above three^ 
months in the year. The snow is of considerable 
use to the farmer ; it forms a covering for his crops, 
and a road to market. A farm in a tract of country 
that has jive months, sleighing snow in the year, is 
considered to be in a more favourable climate than that 
which has but three : it is generally more healthy, and 
has less mud and rain*.' Within doors, also, the 
metal stoves of Canadian manufacture, universally 
used in both provinces, which are placed in the 
centre of each apartment, and even in the passages ; 
and for the feeding of which, the woods contain an 
inexhaustible supply of fuel, keep the houses at an 
ordinary temperature of 80° throughout the cold 
season, and by custom are found to answer well with 
the habits of the people. 

The weather is very changeable, particularly in 
the warm season, the changes coming on suddenly, 
and giving no indication of the alteration a short 
time before they take place. Considering the 
electric activity of the atmosphere, however, the 
winds in either province are seldom severe, * though 
at times,' they are said, by Mactaggart, to ' lay 

* Three Years in Canada, vol. ii. p. 5. 



274 CLIMATE 

waste extensive belts of forest, perhaps twenty to 
thirty miles at a stretch, and from one-fourth to a 
whole mile in breadth.' Such an occurrence as this, 
if fairly represented, must have a remarkable effect in 
the woods : to see the lofty timber of the forest laid 
down in a stripe, like corn in harvest. But though 
blown down trees are often met with by travellers, 
we have not found the above statement confirmed by 
any other authority. 

\ The periodical winds both in Upper and Lower 
Canada, we are informed, are the north-east, north- 
west, and south-west, which all have a considerable 
influence on the temperature of the atmosphere and 
the state of the weather. The south-west wind is 
the most prevalent, but it is generally moderate, and 
accompanied by clear skies ; and the north-east and 
easterly winds usually bring with them continued 
rain in summer and snow in winter. The north-west 
is remarkable for its dryness and elasticity ; and, 
by gathering an intense degree of frigor as it sweeps 
across the frozen plains and ice-bound hills in that 
quarter of the continent, invariably brings with it 
a perceptible degree of cold*. The meteoric and 
electric phenomena, frequently witnessed in both pro- 
vinces, but particularly in Upper Canada, are often so 
remarkable, as to afford much room for scientific 
observation on the atmosphere of these countries. 
The admiration of the new settlers is at times greatly 

* Bouchette, vol. i. p. 343. 



OF BOTH PROVINCES. 275 

excited by the grandeur of these electric appearances ; 
yet, in the shape of vivid and continuous lightnings ac- 
companied by loud bursts of thunder, rolhng sublimely 
over the forests, they are not unfrequently terrific 
appalling, and are occasionally followed by serious 
consequences. It is on the open expanse of the 
great lakes, however, that such phenomena are seen 
with most eifect ; and, were this a proper place for it, 
we are furnished with materials upon this subject for 
much interesting narrative of what has been witnessed, 
and more of curious scientific speculation*. 

* Not to advert to the observations of the well-known tra- 
vellers, we cannot resist adding a few facts, from documents 
kindly furnished us by Mr. Gould, whose own notes upon what 
he observed in the United States and the Canadas, formerly- 
quoted, are full of pertinent and valuable remark. What he 
himself witnessed, on lake Ontario, he thus describes : — 

' During one of my trips the weather was very stormy, with 
much thunder and rain. After an almost deluge of the latter, 
the chimney of the steam-vessel to windward was thickly 
covered with a white substance, which the Captain said he had 
never before observed. The storm continued, and towards night 
a ball of electric light appeared at each mast head, rocking with 
the vessel ; they remained for many hours. In times of old it 
would have been considered a friendly visit from Castor and 
Pollux. For my own part, though frequently going on deck 
to look at the phenomenon, I did not think so well of the augury. 
Tlie Captain, however, quieted us by declaring that, notwith- 
standing the large quantity of ii'on on board steam-vessels, they 
were never known to be struck by lightning ; there seemed to 
be a repelling cause in the rarification of the air about it. Since 
my return, 1 find that the security of the Captain is not so 
certain, as one of the Ramsgate boats has been struck during 

t2 



•276 CLIMATE 

Of late years, a comparison has popularly been 
made between the climate of the Upper and Lower 
Provinces, generally considerably to the disadvantage 

the summer. The night being very dark and ' ugly, 'we came to 
anchor in a sheltered bay, and in about an hour afterwards, our 
friends disappeared from the mast heads. In the morning we 
sailed into Kingston harbour. We had been thirty-one hours 
on the passage, 180 miles, which I had previously done in less 
than twenty.' 

The phenomena here described, however, is nothing com- 
pared to what was observed, in 1827, by Captain Bonnycastle, 
R. E., an account of which was given to the Literary and His- 
torical Society of Quebec, and recorded in the first volume 
of the printed Transactions of the Society, with which we 
have been also favoured from the same quarter. The Captaia 
states, that, at Kingston in Upper Canada, in the August of 
that year, after an unusually brilliant exhibition of the Aurora 
Borealis, one night about eight o'clock, an arch of increasing 
brightness began to form, under Arcturus, extending to the 
Pleiades, — its altitude rising to the highest part of the body of 
Ursa Major, — until nearly by nine it had ' formed a broad and 
highly magnificent arch of pale white light, which spanned a 
third part of the horizon. It was now like a heavenly bow of 
luminous white vapour, through which the larger stars of the 
constellations were very visible ; nor did its grandeur or its light 
diminish when the moon, slowly emerging from the extremity 
of its south-eastern limb, showed a deep yellow disk through 
its splendid veil. At half-past eight, the true Aurora became 
suddenly apparent — then, on the south-east, arose, from the 
lower boundary of the sky, a rod of the same white light which, 
enlarging its dimensions very slowly, pointed to, and at length 
reached, the Milky Way at the northern cross, and after shooting 
through the galaxy with a stately and somewhat stealing pace 
slowly vanished.' At this time the vast expanse of the tranquil 
waters of lake Ontario, with the distant dock-yards of the town 



OF BOTH PROVINCES. 277 

of the latter, which has served greatly to affect the tide 
of emigration, by neutralising the temptation of the 
advantages, which might otherwise have served to 
claim a preference for the more frontier part of the 

of Kingston, were seen like day, which, contrasting with the 
deep gloom of the forest and the brilliancy of the heavens, 
presented a scene the most awfully striking. 

On another occasion, when sailing up from the Gulf of St. 
Lawrence, the Captain was called up in the night by the 
alarmed men, upon their witnessing a brilliant light on the 
surface of the sea, which hovered on the lee-bow of the ship. 
Suddenly, the stream of light spread over the sea, between the 
two shores, and the waves, which before had rolled in tardy 
tranquillity, now became much agitated. While the sky above 
became intensely obscure, the waters around appeared one blazing 
sea of fire, by the light of which the dark frowning brows of the 
land abreast could not only be clearly seen beyond the flame, 
but the minutest object on deck, or figure on the Captain's 
watch, could be seen by it, and even the large fish in the sea, 
were seen by the tortuous lines of darting light, to swim rapidly 
about in large numbers, as if in the most dreadful consterna- 
tion and alarm. The sailors stood aghast with terror; the 
very booms and yards of the ship, seemed lighted up with the 
reflection, as if gas-lights burned immediately under them, and 
on the Captain drawing up a bucket of the sea water, the same 
light adhered to it even when stirred by the hand. These 
phenomena gradually disappeared with the break of day, but 
returned more or less for several succeeding nights. The Cap- 
tain tries to account for these remarkable appearances, not b}- 
any reference to the atmosphere, but, by attributing them to a 
phosphoric origin, formed from some concentrated exuviae of 
fish, or other secretion of the finny tribes, suddenly spreading 
over the surface of the sea. 

A strange and alarming phenomenon has been seen in these 
regions, well known to many by the name of ihe dark days of 



278 CLIMATE 

colony. As this comparison has in general been 
made with a very imperfect knowledge of the real 
state of the case, no further summary of the latest 
statements and opinions upon this subject seems 
here to be required. 

In the Lower Province, or rather in the countries 
in the vicinity of Quebec, the actual winter usually 
commences about the 25th of November, and the 
land continues under the dominion of ice and snow 



Canada, which occurred in October of 1785, and in July of 
1814. On these strange appearances, there are several in- 
teresting notes communicated to the aforesaid Societjr, by the 
Honourable Chief Justice Sewell, the president, and printed 
also in its Transactions, vol. ii. p. 230. These appearances 
consisted chiefly of a dismal darkness at noon-day, so that as 
an eye-witness expressed himself, Jamais nuit ne fut plus obscur. 
These periods of total darkness, occurring in the middle of the 
day, continued about ten minutes each time, and were frequently 
repeated, at twelve, two, three, four, and five o'clock ; the in- 
tervals being partially relieved by vast masses of clouds, streaked 
with yellow, driving athwart the darkened sky, accompanied by 
sudden gusts of winds, with much lightning, thunder, and rain. 
Meantime, the water that fell from the clouds was extremely 
black, and in the case of the one in 1814, ashes and black 
powder fell from the atmosphere, in partial showers, on the 
shores of Kamouraska. In this latter case, though the time of 
the year was July, when the sun could be seen, it appeared of 
a bright blood colour. These appearances, have also been 
supposed not to be chargeable upon the atmosphere, but to 
arise either from the conflagration of a forest, or the eruption 
of some unknown volcano. The latter of these suppositions 
seems the most tenable, it being the report of the wandering 
Indians, that a volcano exists somewhere in the unexplored wilds 
«f the Labrador territory. 



OF BOTH PROVINCES. 279 

for five months, that is, till about the 25th of the 
following April. Now the ice begins to break up, 
the snows are dissipated, and agricultural opera- 
tions begin to be resumed. At Montreal, 180 miles 
higher up, nearly a month may be substracted from 
this period, that is, a fortnight at the beginning, and 
a fortnight or more, at the end of the season. The 
duration of winter in the Upper Province is not so 
liable to a general rule, and the season is more or 
less shortened as the traveller proceeds west and 
south. Upon the whole, however, the best opinion 
seems to conclude*, that if the duration of the 
sleighing season, or of the hard frost, be taken as a 
criterion, its average time, in the Lower Province, 
is nearly five months, while in Upper Canada it 
scarcely lasts two. Considering the pleasure with 
which the Canadians look forward to this season, 
and that the extremes of it are frequently, in the 
Upper Province, wet and stormy, it will not appear 
surprising, that many should prefer the long winter 
to the shorter, both for the greater opportunities it 
gives the farmer for pleasant travelling, but for the 
length of time afforded him for threshing his corn, 
cutting and drawing his fuel, gathering his materials 
for repairing his fences, and manufacturing his 
domestic woollens and linens. 

To the subjects of climate, and meteorological ob- 
servation, for which the phenomena occurring in 
these provinces, afford most interesting matter, the 

* BouchettC; vol. i. p. 3-13, &c. 



280 



CLIMATE 



Scientific Societies established in Quebec and Montreal 
have lately given considerable attention, and various 
tables have been made out, besides a particular one 
whicii will be found copied into Mr. Talbot's book. 
The one most to our purpose, however, as giving 
comprehensive view of the comparative temperature 
of the two provinces, we give from Bouchette, al- 
tliouoh taken as far back as 1820. 



Table showing the Highest, Lowest, and Mean Tem- 
perature of each Month, in Upper and Lower 
Canada, during the Year 1820. Latitude about 
42° North, in Upper Canada, and Latitude 
45° North, or thereabouts, in Lower Canada. 



Thermometer — Fahrenheit. 




Upper Canada. 


Lower Canada. 


Maxi- 


Mini- 


xMean. 


Maxi- 


Mini- 


Mean. 




iiium. 


mum. 




mum. 


mum. 




January . 


. . 48 


-20 


18.17 


33 


-23 


11.14 


February 


• . 50 


8 


23.87 


40 


-29 


10.69 


March . 


. . 52 





26.94 


A7 


-26 


12.13 


Aynl . . 


• . 83 


40 


59.70 


81 


9 


48.91 


May. . . 


• . 92 


40 


67.32 


92 


30 


67.84 


June . . . 


• • 97 


57 


77.51 


95 


55 


76.34 


July. . . 


• • 103 


60 


81.37 


103 


62 


82.23 


A-ugust . 


• • 99 


55 


73.24 


100 


58 


74.7 


September 


• • 92 


33 


64.45 


90 


30 


59.16 


October . 


• • 74 


28 


48. 


55 


9 


32.24 


November 


• . • 54 


10 


34.53 


40 


-13 


17.44 


December 


. . 41 


2 


25.43 


43 

1 


-21 


11.94 


For the ye< 


ir. . 73. 8 


25.72 


48.37 


68.25 


11.75 


42. 1 


For the sun 


imerl 

une,} 99.66 

^ust. J 












months, .. 


57.33 


77.37 


99.33 


58.33 


77.54 


July, Au^ 












Winter mo 


nths 46.33 


-4.67 


22.49 


38.66 


-24.33 


11.25 



OF BOTH PROVINCES. 281 

The chief fact, however, upon the subject of health 
and climate, that will commend itself to the interest 
of the colonizer, in either province, is, that there is 
an epidemic disease known in these countries, which 
frequently alarms the emigrant from Europe by its 
debilitating or fatal effects. This disease, in general, 
consists of those various modifications of bilious dis- 
order, and aguish intermittant, which, carried by the 
air, perhaps, from the extensive swamps of the Genessee 
country, and other parts of the states, and fixing upon 
the secluded inhabitants of the low grounds, border- 
ing the great lakes, commits considerable ravages, at 
certain seasons, under the common name of the 
lake fever. By no means well known to professors 
of medicine, this disorder seems to assume every 
shade of mildness or malignity ; in some cases attack- 
ing individuals in a form little to be dreaded, and 
■ returning several times upon the same person, accom- 
panied with no great suffering ; in other cases be- 
coming fatal in a few hours, and assuming the worst 
appearances of the tropical epidemics. This last 
effect, however, but seldom takes place ; and of the 
diseases considered peculiar to this region, which 
seem to be caused much by the marshy effluvia, im- 
prudent exposure, and the drinking of bad water*, the 

* Upon this subject, we are favoured by Mr. Gould, be- 
fore quoted, with the following original notice : ' In the 
Autumn of this year (1828),' says he, ' the whole of the 
western parts of the State of New York, and the Genessee 
country, suffered dreadfully from fever, as well as many parts 



282 CLIMATE 

accounts are so various, that some go so far as to say, 
in reference particularly to the various moditicatious 
of ague and dysentery, which occasionally are to be 
seen on the borders of the lakes, that Canada is hardly 

of Upper Canada ; it was called variously — intermittent fever, 
"bilious fever, lake fever &c,, &c. For my own part, from what 
I have heard of it (for, as to what I have seen, my ignorance 
of medicine would not assist me) I should really imagine it to 
be the same as the ytUow fever, but less malignant, being 
modified by climate. In subsiding, it left the patients suffering 
grievously under fever and ague ; in many instances it was ne- 
cessary to bury those who died instantly, the bodies becoming 
putrid. Sulphate of quinine, in doses of one grain, has sup- 
planted every other remedy, and as a preventive , Cayenne 
pepper, taken in large quantities as a condiment, is used. 

* This fever does not appear to be so common to the forest, 
in uewly-cleared lands, the first season, as for several years 
afterwards; during which, the exhalations from a rich soil, 
composed of vegetable matter, in various states of decompo- 
sition, to a considerable depth, drawn up by the hot sun of 
this climate, and prevented by the flatness of the country, and 
the surrounding high forest, from being dissipated by strong 
currents of air, aggravate the evil; till at length, it would seem^ 
that nearly the whole of this offending matter is exhaled, 
during which time, the forest, from being more opened, admits 
air, and the pi-ogress of civilization, has drained much of the 
surface waters. In Lower Canada, where the country is de- 
nuded of wood, and the richness of the surface soil, almost 
worn out, these fevers are unknown. In some parts of the 
country, which were affected in August last, it continued till 
the beginning of December, when the season, being unusually 
open, an opportunity was offered for getting on with plough- 
ing, which the sickness had prevented at the usual period. 
I was in the neighbourhood of the Rideau Lake, in Upper 
Canada, when the lake fever was breaking out, and observed 



OF BOTH PROVI^•CES. 283 

so healthy a country as England. The difference 
seems however to be, that while the climate is, upon 
the whole, fully more favourable, if not to the dura- 
tion at least to the enjoyment, of life, than that of 
England ; the few diseases that are incident to a 
partially cleared country, all excepting the mild and 
fitfully returning ague, are more rapid, in their opera- 
tion towards fatahty or cure, than the ordinary dis- 
eases of European countries. In respect of compa- 

a close, fishy smell arising from , the water, having an effect 
upon the lungs; — I have been told this is usually the case. The 
rapidity with which a district is affected is astonishing; it 
generally comes on at the period when the waters are lowest ; 
and its greater prevalence this summer, was attributable to the 
unusual height of all the lakes and rivers throughout this 
northern continent, thereby on its retiring, leaving an immense 
surface of decayed vegetable matter exposed to the influence of 
the sun. There is no recollection of the waters being so high. 
Some of the American wise men of the west, calculated 
upon the waters of the great lakes forcing to themselves a 
passage down the Mississippi, instead ^f the St. Lawrence ; it 
was said that a farther rise of nine feet would have effected it, 
and when once commenced, the soft soil of that district would 
soon have worked low enough to have perpetuated the new 
channels. It has often struck me, that when the obstructions 
in the Thames at London Bridge shall be removed, and the 
water suffered to flow down with the tide, so much of the 
muddy bottom of the river will be exposed to the summer sun, 
that fevers may be engendered in London : I am aware that 
engineers say that the river will then scour itself; this remains 
to be proved. We do know, that since the fire of London, and 
the keeping back the water by sluices, and waterworks at 
London Bridge, that London has been free from the plague 
and ether epidemics, and is perhaps at this time, as free from 
fever and agrie, as any town in Great Britain.' 



284 CLIMATE 

rison of climate between the two provinces, liowever, 
whatever may be the malignancy or amount of the lake 
fever, it is agreed, on all hands, that it is entirely con- 
fined to Upper Canada ; and if the winter is longer and 
fully more rigorous in the Lower Province, the latter 
is entirely exempted from this scourging epidemic. 

There is another fact deserving of attention, in re- 
ference to the climate of the Upper Province, which 
seems remarkably to illustrate the usual compensa- 
tions of nature ; — to wit, that on the borders of the 
great lakes, where the inhabitants are liable to the 
visitations of the ague, the weather is, in general, 
mild, and the snow lies but short on the ground in 
winter ; while, inland, where the people are more 
exempt from any epidemic, it is nearly as cold in 
winter as in Lower Canada. It is a common opinion, 
arguing a priori, that the gradual clearing of the land 
and opening of the forests, will, in the same propor- 
tion, tend to the amelioration of the climate of both 
provinces, in the cold season of the year. This opinion 
is confirmed, as we are told by Bouchette, by the re- 
ports of the oldest inhabitants of the Lower Province, 
of what they themselves have observed. From obssr- 
vations, however, made by the thermometer for a series 
of years, which may be seen at large in that author's 
work, this opinion does not seem to be sanctioned by 
the test of science ; and engineer Mactaggart, who 
has written very fully on the subject, asserts that the 
extremes of heat and cold are felt to be more severe 
in the cleared than in the uncleared districts ; and that, 



OF BOTH PROVINCES. 285 

at Quebec and Montreal the mercury frequently 
freezes in winter, ' while the summers are so hot, for 
some days, that it is a wonder how animals contrive 
to live.' Mr. Talbot, however, who had great oppor- 
tunities of observing, and travelled much in the Ca- 
nadas, is of quite a different opinion, arguing first 
hypothetically from the known influence of the sun's 
rays, not only in heating the atmosphere and drying 
the marshes, as the lands get cleared, but enabling the 
earth, which imbibes caloric through the summer 
months, and, of course, gives it out gradually in 
winter, to aid in equalizing the temperature ; and then 
adducing many instances of the effects of the clearing 
of land upon temperature and health in his father's 
settlement, and many other parts of the Upper Pro- 
vince*. Whether, from all the facts adduced, it may 
be found that the human system itself undergoes a 
change, when transplanted to these regions, so as to 
make the extremes of cHmate less felt or regarded, as is 
often asserted, it seems to us quite likely that the ten- 
dency of the removal of the forests, and the draining 
of the marshes is, in every point of view, to the ad- 
vantage of future settlers. 

We have been led into these extended statements, 
by a wish to enable the emigrant to decide, as to the 
field of his proposed future exertions, between the 
merits of the Upper and Lower Provinces of Canada, 
upon the important point of comparative climate. 
That in respect of climate, the Upper Province is, 
perhaps, the more agreeable to Europeans in general, 
* Vol. i. p. 341. 



286 CLIMATE OF BOTH PROVINCES. 

may fairly be concluded ; but that the Lower Province 
is the more healthful of the two, seems without a ques- 
tion*. It now only remains to inform the emigrant 
what parts of the Upper Province are allowed to be 
most liable to aguish disorders. These are said 
chiefly to prevail in the low- lying lands about the Bay 
of Quintd, as also in and near that ' infernal place,' 
as Mactaggart calls it, known by the name of the 
Cranberry Marshes, which lies betvveen the Rideau 
Lake and Lake Ontario, through which the southern 
end of the Rideau Canal now directly passes. The 
fronter townships between the Bay of Quinte and the 
great inland sea, are said to be particularly unwhole- 
some, as also the swampy lands to the east of Kingston, 
bordering the St. Lawrence. The neighbourhood of 
York, higher up the province, is said also to be by 
no means exempt from "^ these complaints ; but for 
more particular information upon local healthiness, 
the emigrant must obtain it, to use the American 
phrase, as he ' gets along/ 

* ^ Fully aware of the superior healthiness of the Lower Pro- 
vince over the generality of the cultivable land in Upper Ca- 
nadaj the legislature determined upon ascertaining whether a 
sufficient quantity of land, fit for forming settlements, and of a 
quality equal to that in the Upper Province, did not exisi in the 
rear of the old French seignioral grants, extending from their 
line to the foot of the mountains, &c., and several sums of 
money were placed at the disposal of his Excellency the 
Governor-in-chief, who nominated commissioners, fitted out ex- 
ploring expeditions,' &c. &c. Fide Lieutenant IngaWs report of 
the Coitntnj between the rivers St. Maurice and Sauguenay : 
published in the Transactions of the Literary and Historical 
Society of Quebec, vol. ii. p. 217. 



GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS FOR 
PROPOSED COLONISTS. 



The pursuits of the proposed colonizer in the Canadas, 

and that of the mere traveller or tourist, being essen- 
tially different, there is nothing in which the former 
requires to be more specially cautioned against, in 
the first instance, than suffering himself to be seduced, 
by any pretence, into lingering on the frontier cities, 
instead of proceeding at once into the interior, or to 
the Upper Province. It is for this reason, that the 
emigrant having some capital, will find it so impor- 
tant, for his main pursuit, to study previously the 
topographical sketches in the earlier part of this book ; 
that he may have a clear idea of the specific advan- 
tages held out for settlers in the different districts of 
this extensive colony ; and thus be enabled to form 
some previous judgment of the part of the country to 
which he should first betake himself, with a view to 
the judicious outlay of his money, and an advan- 
tageous field for his future exertions. 

From the time of the year, at which the emigrant 
arrives in Canada, — namely, if he is fortunate, early 
in summer — every hour is precious, in the view of 
his commencing operations on his own account the 



288 GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS 

same year ; for, he has his land to choose, a part of it 
to clear, his house to build, and his family to get set- 
tled in it, with various other preparatory business to 
transact, all before the winter commences. If his 
first object be merely employment, the sooner he gets 
up into the interior country, the better. 

The sources from which lands are to be had or pur- 
chased, in either of the Canadas, may be in general 
comprehended under three heads, which, though simple 
in themselves, are each worthy of the attention of 
the enterprizing colonist. The first mode of purchase 
is direct from the Government ; the second is from 
public land companies ; and the third is from private 
individuals. 

As to the first mode. Government, after first taking 
possession of these colonies, gradually gave away 
large ' grants ' of the land to individuals, either as 
rewards for public services, or upon no other condi- 
tion but their personal settlement or the clearing of 
a small portion of them, and the making of defined 
portions of roads, for the progressive improvement of 
the colony. As the lands, however, began to rise in 
value, they were next given away in lots of various 
sizes, upon the payment only of certain fees to the 
officers of Government, These fees becoming, by the 
progress of colonization, an object of importance to 
the local government, were, in the year 1819, for va- 
rious assigned reasons, nearly doubled ; but this be- 
coming ultimately a subject of great complaint, the 
Government has since abandoned the system of fees, 



GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS, 289 

and now dispose of the remaining lands in miicli the 
same manner as is done by companies or individuals. 

The second mode of purchasing lands in Canada 
is from public bodies, such as the Canada Company, 
which holds large tracts of it in the Upper Province, 
and the British American Land Association, about to 
be established, which means to confine itself more to 
the frontier territory. These bodies having them- 
selves purchased lands from Government, as it were by 
wholesale, and in the raw state, and making it their 
business, if we may so say, to manufacture the article, 
by opening up roads through it, and making general 
improvements, for the enhancing of its value and the 
convenience of colonization, afterwards act as retail 
dealers in it, and afford to emigrants all the informa- 
tion and encouragement which their own interests, in 
these circumstances, may be supposed to dictate. 
From these facts it would appear to be the interest 
of individuals, whose means and knowledge are both 
limited, to put themselves under the protection of 
public bodies, whose prosperity is clearly identified 
with their own ; as, besides the indulgences, in respect 
of time of payment, which large retail dealers alone 
can give, emigrants, especially if they go out in asso- 
ciation, by this mode of settling, purchase all the 
advantages of co-operation, so valuable in any im- 
portant undertaking. 

The Canada Company, now some years in opera- 
tion, sell their lands to colonists, in detached lots or 
separate farms, of all sizes from 50 acres upwards, 

u 



290 GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS. 

and take the payment in the course of five years, by 
annual instalments of one-fifth part of the purchase 
money each year, with the colonial interest of six per 
cent, the first fifth being payable down, on getting 
what is called a location ticket for taking immediate 
possession. If this first instalment upon 100 acres 
or upwards is paid to the Company in Bishopsgats 
Street, London, or in Quebec or Montreal upon arri- 
val there, the Company engage, for the present sea- 
son, to convey the emigrant from either of those 
places, to York in the upper province, free of ex~ 
'pense^ as already stated. 

The British American Land Company, now in 
process of formation, is to be conducted in the same 
manner as the existing Canada Company. Lower 
Canada, and particularly that part of it which lies on 
the south side of the St. Lawrence, is intended to be 
the scene of its earliest operations. But the views 
and principles upon which it has been formed are on 
a more extensive scale, inasmuch as the Company 
intends, according to the direction which the stream 
of emigration may take, to carry its operations into 
all the British American provinces and colonies. 

As soon as it shall have been formed, and legalized 
by Act of Parliament and Charter, the Company 
intend to publish an account of their arrangements 
for persons intending to emigrate ; both as to the 
remittance of their funds, and the public works which 
they intend to undertake. By the agreement of the 
Company with government, the one half of the pur- 



GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS. 291 

chase money which they are to pay for the lands is 
to be laid out on public works, in those parts of the 
provinces where the lands so purchased may be 
situated. It is important to notice this particularly, 
as it is among the earliest applications by govern- 
ment of a wise principle in colonization ; public 
works being, in fact, the only true mode of promoting 
the settlement and prosperity of colonies. Of course 
in the prosecution of their objects the Company will, 
both at home and abroad, appoint the necessary 
agents to whom emigrants can applies for information. 

As to the third mode of purchasing land, namely, 
from private individuals, this may perhaps be the 
most advisable for persons with some amount of 
capital, wlio may wish to buy it in quantity, and in 
more or less of a cleared state ; as there are always 
portions for sale in all sorts of situations and in 
every stage of improvement. As this is a matter of 
bargain between individuals, no other general direc- 
tions can be given than as applies to the validity of 
the title to be given — which the purchaser should look 
well into. 

This will be a simple matter if the lands are 
situated in the Upper Province, as there a public 
registry is kept ; but if in Lower Canada, where 
the title cannot be so easily ascertained, some diffi- 
culty and risk may in this case be incurred. 

Here a matter requires to be stated, which is of 
much importance to all classes of emigrants, namely, 
that the office of the surveyor of the Upper Pro- 

u2 



292 GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS. 

vince being situated in York, 540 miles from Quebec, 
the emigrant, on landing at the latter place, has no 
opportunity of making a choice between the lands of 
the two provinces without travelling all that distance 
into the interior, nor can he, unless an alteration 
has very lately taken place, obtain his title in ordinary 
cases even to lands in the near districts of Johnston 
or Bathurst, without undertaking this tedious and ex- 
pensive journey. 

In seeking to purchase land from individuals, the 
qualities, prices, and other advantages of particular 
portions of it, are continually made public by ad- 
vertisement. But all proposed purchasers ought 
particularly to observe the notices of lands for sale, 
which he will find posted up in every inn and tavern 
as he travels along the roads in the interior ; as there 
are few better modes of meeting with advantageous 
lots, and purchasing under satisfactory circumstances, 
than by due attention to the offers thus made to the 
passing traveller. 

As to these three modes of purchasing, it is to be 
observed generally, that those applying for lands at 
public offices must expect to be subjected to those 
delays in completing their purchases, which, without 
any blame to those concerned, are inseparable perhaps 
from the management of extensive details and the 
necessary routine of office. There is this difference, 
however, in dealing direct with government, and with 
other public bodies, that, from the nature of the case, 
the atter can and do grant indulgences in regard to 



GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS. 293 

time and mode of payment, which cannot be expected 
from the former ; thus yielding occasionally to the 
necessities or circumstances of the colonist, though 
adhering also to a general principle. 

Emigrants, having a capital of a few hundred pounds, 
intending to become colonists in any of the Canadas,* 
are in general advised rather to purchase lands partly 
cleared, and having upon them a house ready built 
for their families, than to go at once uninitiated and 
unpractised into the wilderness forest. As to the 
terms upon which lands are to be had with such 
advantages, these can only be learned with any 
authenticity on the spot, as prices of course vary 
with every enhancing or depreciating circumstance. 
Those who want good land, society, and a convenient 
market, must pay for them. Those who cannot afford 
to pay for these advantages, must, of course, go into 
the bush, — perhaps into a rather remote neighbour- 
hood at first, — until the progress of settlement gather 
around him neighbours, and gradually enhance the 
value of his own property. 

As to the mode of judging of land, of clearing it 
when purchased, and the numerous details of farming 
management, as these and all other practical matters 
can only be properly learned on the spot, and can 
never be taught by books, we abstain from offering 
any of the matter before us which individuals have 
written upon such subjects. With regard also to the 
capabilities of the soil of both Canadas, to state 
generally that it will, by cultivation, produce all the 
* See paper, I, Appendix. 



294 GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS. 

profitable vegetables known in England, and that in 
abundance, by proper management, will perhaps be 
sufficient for practical men. The settler knows that 
after he has cleared his land of the mere ' bush,' that 
had hitherto kept from it the rays of the sun, the 
first effect of the upper richness of the soil, is dimi- 
nished in surface produce by the stumps of the trees 
remaining in the ground ; and that afterwards, by the 
time these stumps have rotted out, what is gained by 
this extension of surface, is in general lost by a pro- 
portionate exhaustion of that vegetable richness. 
He also knows that horned cattle are easily fed in the 
woods, and that hogs, in particular, are a most profit- 
able stock for the poor man ; but that, in a forest, 
country sheep, or even horses, cannot be introduced 
with advantage but by slow degrees, as the land is 
cleared. The English farmer also, when he goes to 
Canada, at once observes, that agriculture there is as 
yet practised in the rudest manner; while, on the 
other hand, experienced colonists universally say, 
that it would be better for the emigrant to go out 
totally ignorant of farming, than to bring with him 
English ideas upon the subject, and attempt to apply 
them to the soil and circumstances of this new country. 
Before however entirely dismissing this branch of 
the emigrant's enquiries, there are two vegetable pro- 
ductions partly cultivated in the Canadas, which have 
been much spoken of in England, as hereafter to 
become important as export commodities, namely 
hemp and tobacco, and regarding wliich it may be 
therefore necessary to say a few words. Of the 



GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS. 295 

former there is certainly a wide field open for specu- 
lation ; yet as an article for general commerce, hemp 
has never yet been raised, though the capabihty of 
the soil to produce it, of the best quality, has been 
ascertained. The chief impediment to the production 
of this article is the price of labour, or the want of 
mills by which it may be prepared for market. But, 
by the introduction of capital, these obstacles may 
be overcome. Of the latter article, in the western 
parts of Upper Canada, it has already been cultivated 
to such an extent, as to be now of some importance 
in the exports of the province. Still, however, it 
should be always borne in mind, that the agricultural 
capabilities of the province have only yet been 
ascertained, and when hemp and tobacco are spoken 
of, it must not be supposed that they are raised in 
such quantities as to be an important object with 
merchants. 

Upon various other points relating to the state 
and capabilities of the Canadas, we had collected 
from various sources such further information as we 
deemed interesting to the intending colonist. As we 
were going to press with them, however, the follow- 
ing document was issued from the Colonial Office, 
being the Report of Mr. Richards, who had in April 
1830 been appointed, under the secretaryship of Sir 
George Murray, a Commissioner of Inquiry into the 
state of the North American Provinces; and who, 
having, in consequence, visited these provinces in the 



296 commissioner's report. 

course of that year, presented liis Report addressed 
to Lord Goderich, which the House of Commons 
ordered to be printed on the 30th of March last. 
As this valuable document contains the latest infor- 
mation regarding the colonies, and gives all that we 
would have offered in a form of official authenticity, 
we print it entire, only omitting some preliminary 
matter, and the notice of those provinces which do not 
come within the scope of our subject. 

Copy of the Report of Mr. Richards to the Colo- 
nial Secretary^ respecting the waste lands in 
Canada, and Emigration, 

(Signed,) Howick. 

Colonial Department, Downing Street, 
12tli March, 1832. 

UPPER CANADA. 

My first journey was from York to Newmarket, 
and the landing upon the Holland River, which we 
descended to Lake Simcoe, and went about six miles 
upon the lake, or 50 miles north of York. The road 
along which we passed, called Young Street, is one of 
the parallel roads originally laid out in the township, 
and it has the appearance of a street, as the houses 
generally face each other upon a straight road, of 
even width, and are mostly a quarter of a mile apart. 
The cross-roads are inferior, and all at right angles ; 
so that there are no small groups of houses formed 
by the concurrence of roads, which are the natural 
seeds of villasfes and towns. 



UPPER CANADA. 297 

The whole province is laid out in this way. We 
found about three-fourths of these lots occupied, and 
in good order, for their sort of agriculture ; fields of 
wheat generally from 15 to 30 acres. Sometimes, 
by the lots adjoining each other, 50 or 60 acres of 
wheat are seen together. 

There was a settlement of a species of Quakers, 
from some part of Pennsylvania, of about 30 years 
old ; a very flourishing village, in the centre of 
about 300 acres cleared ; but this was on a parallel 
street. We were told that 25 or 30 bushels was the 
average produce of wheat per acre. A man upon 
Lake Simcoe assured me that he once had 371 
bushels from seven acres ; and I was pointed out 
the residence of a farmer who sent 135 barrels of 
flour to market last year. The soil seemed peculiarly 
favourable to wheat, and the peas, flax, and barley all 
looked well. About one-fourth of the land was of 
inferior quality and unoccupied. Near Newmarket, 
where the land was best, grain had been sown upon 
the same ground for 15 or 16 years successively, 
without injury to it. Our ascent was so moderate, 
that the face of the country looked like an immense 
plateau ; but the land's height must be some hundred 
feet above the lake. The strip of settlement on this 
road presented an interminable vista of from half a 
mile to a mile and a half wide ; and the streams 
crossing it had formed such deep gullies as to be 
passable only at great expense. AVe met several 
waggon-loads of flour on their way to York. 



298 COMMISSIONERS REPORT. 

The lots of 200 acres, jDartly improved and with 
buildings, sell from 500/. to 1,000/. currency. We 
saw one, with inferior buildings, which sold under the 
hammer last year for 67 5Z. cash. 

My next journey was to the western part of the 
province, by Burlington Bay and Hamilton ; thence 
through Ancaster, Brantford, Simcoe, and the Long- 
Point country to Colonel Talbot's ; thence to Lon- 
don upon the Thames, and back by a northern road 
to Brandtford ; thence by Hamilton and the Dundas 
Street Road to York; making a distance, in the 
whole, of above 300 miles. 

The canal at Burlington Bay was open, and we 
passed through it. At Hamilton, the county town of 
Gore district, is a handsome stone court-house. The 
town is well laid out and flourishing. After ascend- 
ing the mountain (a continuation of the Queen's 
Town or Niagara ridge) about 250 feet high, the 
view to the north and north-west presents an unin- 
terrupted, level, like a sea horizon, and suggests the 
idea of the formation of this country as from the 
gradual subsiding of water from the bottom of some 
vast lake. The soil is chiefly of alluvial deposit, with 
less stone than I have ever seen elsewhere. Such is 
the general character of the country between the 
Lakes Huron, Erie, and Ontario ; and only of inferior 
quality where swamps or the sandy principle predo- 
minates ; in all other respects of as fine a quality of 
soil as any in America, or in the world. 

On our road to Ancaster we passed the residence 



UPPER CANADA. 29^ 

of a farmer who had purchased 11 farms, of 200 
acres each, with the proceeds of his agricultural pro- 
duce, and had sold from 2,000 to 3,000 bushels of 
wheat annually. A gentleman who owns a mill in 
this district gave me the information, and assured me 
that when he came to it in 1824 there was not above 
10,000 bushels of wheat shipped annually from Bur- 
lington Bay, and now they expect 150,000 to be 
shipped in the present year. This astonishing in- 
crease he attributes to the admission of colonial 
wheat into England at a low duty, and the confining 
the West India trade to the North American pro- 
vinces. Before these changes, wheat sold at half a 
dollar per bushel, and since it has generally at a dollar 
or more, and he considers it a safe and good business 
to the farmer to pay 12 dollars per month wages, if 
wheat can be sold at three-quarters of a dollar per 
bushel. 

At Brandtford we attended an examination of 
young Mohawk Indian scholars, who performed with 
credit to themselves and their clergyman, who says 
that they are regular in their attendance at church, 
where about 300 of the tribe usually assemble on 
Sundays. They showed me the communion plate 
and Bible presented by order of Queen Anne, 1710. 
A large reservation is made for them and other In- 
dians upon the Grand River, of perhaps 50 or 60,000 
acres. Some farms are under good cultivation in 
their own hands ; others are let on leases. The site 
of Brandtford v/as just laid out in town lots, from 



300 commissioner's REPORT. 

which they hoped to realize above 100,000 dollars. 
In fact their concerns are well managed, and the 
Lieutenant-Governor seems particularly careful of 
them. 

' From Simcoe to Otter Creek, and generally through 
the Long- Point country, the land appeared poor and 
sandy ; but it is said to yield from 16 to 20 bushels 
of wheat on an average per acre ; and that after two 
or three crops it was necessary to lay it down in 
grass. 

From Otter Creek to Colonel Talbot's the land 
and crops were as fine as possible ; the growth of the 
woods of the very first quality ; black walnut abun- 
dant ; new houses and barns either building or 
finished ; good roads, in straight lines, the openings 
about a mile wide, &c. This is said to be the case all 
along the South Talbot Road to Sandwicb, for about 
150 miles, and that the North Talbot Road is nearly 
as long, so that Colonel Talbot must have made 
from 250 to 300 miles of road in all. He is rigid in 
the exaction of settling duties, and exhibits the best 
if not the only good roads in the province. 

We found Colonel Talbot's house upon a beautiful 
commanding eminence of about 120 feet high, over- 
looking Lake Erie. Although his settlement was 
begun before the late war with America, it was then 
so much broken in upon that he did not restore it till 
1817. He has located in the whole about 30,000 
souls, or 6,000 families ; he makes no reservations, 
but allows the settler to choose his lot where he 



UPPER CANADA. 30i 

pleases, by which he will secure all the advantages of 
a dense population. His crown and clergy reserves 
are laid out in large blocks. 

We saw few settlers with less than 30 or 40 acres 
cleared, some with 100 ; this, however, is an old part 
of the settlement. The cost of clearing land is about 
12 dollars per acre, and monthly wages about 12 
dollars. 

One gentleman assured me that he had 80 bushels 
of shelled corn to the average acre ; that he had 
grown wheat 12 years in succession upon the same 
land ; that his last crop averaged 30 bushels to the 
acre ; that he considers 25 an average, and 40 a 
great crop : some reckon the yield by the sheaf, and 
one person said he generally expects six bushels from 
100 sheaves. That last year, which was a remark- 
ably good yielding one, they got nine and a half 
from 100 sheaves j and that one of his neighbours 
threshed out 71 J bushels from 650 sheaves. There 
is an Agricultural Society established here, which, 
among other premiums, offers one for the best road 
before any man's lot. 

A good deal of tobacco is now grown in the 
western part of the province ; the acre will give from 
1,000 to 1,200 lbs., and it sold last year at six dollars 
per 100 lbs. 

At Port Talbot they were loading a small vessel 
with wheat, to go through the Welland Canal. 

From thence to London the country is equally 
good and well settled. The Thames is a quick, clear 



302 commissioner's report. 

iriver, of about 25 or 30 yards wide, with a good 
bridge over it. The town is quite new, not contain- 
ing above 40 or 50 houses, all of bright boards and 
shingles. The streets and gardens full of black 
stumps, &c. They were building a church, and had 
finished a handsome Gothic court-house, which must 
have been a costly work. The site of the town is 
fine and commanding. 

Returning to Brandtford by the northern route, the 
country averaged rather better, as it was more springy, 
and better suited to grass, and the grain crops equally 
good; on this route we passed, in several places, 
through more than 20 miles of unsettled land, held 
by absentees, and never were worse roads anywhere. 
This shuts up the settled country completely, and the 
settlers must wait for sleighing to get their produce to 
market, and of course bear the loss of any inter- 
mediate fall of prices. 

Above 700,000 acres were advertised for sale this 
year by the sheriff of the London district, and 
100,000 actually sold; this was in consequence of a 
late law of the provincial Parliament to collect arrear- 
ages upon their tax on wild lands. 

From Hamilton we returned to York, by the 
Dundas-street Road ; here we found a different soil, 
more clayey and tenacious ; the grain not so fine, but 
the grass excellent. This sort of soil in the spring 
of the year, when the frost is going out, is almost 
mellowed to decomposition, and the water wears it 
away most powerfully. We saw gullies from 50 to 



UPPER CANADA. 308 

100 feet deep, which seem to have been worn by the 
long-continued action of the streams, and are unsafe 
to go down in carriages. 

My next journey was to the Rice Lake, Peter- 
borough, &c. 

From Cobourg to the lake, through a well-watered 
country, undulating with pleasant swells, the wheat, 
as usual, particularly fine. We travelled in a light 
waggon at about six miles an hour, on a road which 
cost about one dollar per rod. Saw some farms 
recently sold, widi improvements, to emigrants ; one 
was pointed out, the possessor of which left England 
in March 1827, and he took his present farm with 
small improvements. He had growing about 15 acres 
of Indian corn, as fine as possible; about 15 acres of 
wheat ; some in oats ; three or four in grass ; potatoes 
to yield some hundred bushels ; and a fair proportion 
of felled land for his next crop. This was an Eng- 
lishman with very slender means, except the labour 
of two full-grown sons ; but his whole farm evinced 
tact and good management. We crossed the Rice 
Lake, and ascended the Otonabee River, for above 
20 miles, to Peterborough ; a fine river, which will 
hereafter be used by steam-boats, with a light draft 
of water : the land is generally good, and favoiurable 
for settlement, but may be considered as out of the 
market, by the ownership of absentees, whose resi- 
dence is either unknown, or who set forbidding prices 
upon it. We saw a great many small openings, the 
relics of former sham settlements. 



304 commissioner's report. 

Peterborougli is the settlement begun in 1825 by 
Mr. Robinson, who then superintended the emigra- 
tion of some of the poorest classes from Cork, whom 
he located here, and lived with them above 12 months. 
The place is well selected at the head of navigation, 
and with mill-power to any extent ; the soil is dry 
and gravelly, upon a terrace of about 20 feet above 
the river. The townships of Ops, Emily, Smith, 
Otonabee, &c. corner here ; and nothing impedes its 
complete and brilliant success but the pressure of 
absentee ownership, as the number of vacant lots do 
not exceed 300. They have already a saw, flour and 
carding mills, distillery and tannery, in regular work ; 
about 60 houses: 22 framed buildings of sundry 
kinds were erected within the last 1 1 months. They 
have a plan for a steam-boat on the lake, to cost 
about 2,000/., of which three-fourths is already sub- 
scribed. 

The agent here thinks nearly 1,000 labourers (pre- 
ferring young men) might find employment in this 
and the eastern part of the province. 

He visited a gentleman near Cobourg, who attends 
particularly to the cultivation of hemp ; he had sowed 
about 35 acres in different soils, sowing from 80 or 
90 lbs. or about two bushels per acre ; some, in a 
rich part of his garden, we saw eight and ten feet 
high ; one field of about one and a half acres, about 
seven feet high, and in other places, generally from 
four and a half to seven feet. He was building a mill 
for bruising it. 



UPPER CANADA. 305 

From Cobourg to the Bay of Quinte, the roads 
were good, the crops fair, the country well watered, 
but the land evidently weaker and apparently giving 
out. The last ten miles was through a wilderness, 
all taken up by military grants ; but a reservation is 
properly made for the Crown, where the canal must 
pass from the Bay of Quinte to Presq' Isle. The 
distance is trifling and the land low. 

The Bay of Quinte settlement is the oldest in Up- 
per Canada, and was begun at the close of the revo- 
lutionary war. We crossed over to the mouth of the 
River Trent, which flows from the Rice Lake, and it is 
said can be made practicable for steam- boats, though 
at much expense ; thence to Belleville, a neat village 
of recent date, but evidently addicted too much to 
lumbering. The whole distance to Kingston is about 
75 miles and three-fourths along this beautiful bay, 
the shores of which are all settled, and exhibit large 
fields of wheat : the farm-houses frequently with good 
orchards ; and the points of land on either side run 
in long tongues into the bay, so as to vary its width 
from one to ten miles. 

I was informed that owing to the ignorance or un- 
faithfulness of the first surveyors, the inhabitants were 
involved in continual law- suits, and that the Legis- 
lature, in despair, had passed an Act to confirm all 
the original surveys ; or, in other words, to perpe- 
tuate errors. 

Next day we descended the St. Lawrence, stopped 
at Gananocqui, where are the best flour-mills in the 

X 



306 commissioner's report. 

province ; then at Brockville, a neat, thriving, new 
town, with several handsome stone houses, churches, 
court-house, &c., and about 1,500 souls. It is sup- 
ported by a rich back country, of the Perth and other 
settlements. Thence to Prescott, &c. 

While on the lakes, I understood there were, upon 
Lake Erie, about 100 sail of American small vessels, 
seven steam-boats, and eight sail of English small 
vessels ; and upon Lake Ontario about 100 sail of 
English small vessels, seven steam-boats, 30 or 40 
American small vessels, and two American steam- 
boats. 

The V/elland Canal is now open, and in operation 
for vessels drawing seven and a half feet water, with 
its minimum width of 56 feet. It is 27 miles from 
lake to lake, but advantage being taken of the Rivers 
Chippewa and Niagara, the canal is only cut for six- 
teen miles and a half. There are 36 locks, which 
are 22 feet wide and 100 feet long. The deepest 
cutting is 56 feet, and the average of the deep cut for 
two miles is 40 feet. The difference of level between 
the two lakes is 330 feet. 

In conjunction with the Welland, some observa- 
tions on the Rideau Canal appear necessary ; its 
primary object was as a war communication, but in a 
secondary point of view, as a peace one, its advantage 
Avill be found not only in floating produce and mer- 
chandize between the two provinces, free of connec- 
tion or interruption on the American boundary, but 
as it opens a line of settlement to the north of it, by 



TJPPER CANADA. 307 

which a number of townships, lately opened, may be 
filled up, and the population pushed along the centre 
of the province ; and from its mouth another branch 
up the Ottawa, in a north-westerly direction, will 
shoot out, and ultimately extend itself to Lake 
Huron. 

At By-Town, upon the Ottawa, the settlement is 
rapidly increasing. The steam-boat from Montreal 
goes twice a week. Townships north of this river 
are in request. Lumberers go 150 miles above By- 
Town. It has fewer rapids than the St. Lawrence, 
and might be made navigable some hundred miles 
from it. This will be the shortest route to the Huron, 
and 300 or 400 miles less to Penetanguishene than by 
Detroit, and all through our own territory. 

Very near to By-Town there have been such ex- 
traordinary exertions in settling a new country by 
one individual, that I cannot pass them by unnoticed. 

Mr. P. Wright came from Wooburn, in Massa- 
chusetts, in 1800, and took up lands upon the Ot- 
tawa ; he brought capital, and 25 labourers with 
him ; since which he has cleared 3,000 acres, owns 
four farms, employs 63 labourers and 33 mechanics 
and assistants, and makes 1,100 tons of hay annually ; 
he has 756 acres in grain and roots, with stock and 
pasturage in proportion ; his buildings are valued at 
18,227/., and the sum total of his farms, stock, build- 
ings, &c., at 57,068/. 15s. (See a Report of the 
Committee to the Legislature of Lower Canada,. 
1S24.) And such has been the result of a conver* 

x2 



303 commissioner's report. 

sion from the wilderness in 24 years, when the land 
might be considered as without value ; but this situ- 
ation has possessed advantages of a very peculiar 
kind. 

On examining the sales of the clergy reserves, I 
found that 13,000/. was the gross amount of one 
year's sales, averaging about 155. the acre; and the 
reflection which naturally arises is, to what value this 
beautiful province might have been raised, under a 
more economical management of its land resources ; 
and it would be unjust, both to the late and present 
governors, not to mention this in its proper light, 
and attribute the errors to the old administrations. 

In all recent military grants, conditions of actual 
settlement are exacted, or lands proposed in rear of 
the surveyed townships ; but I do not see how justice 
can be done to the province, without the establishment 
of a court of escheat, to recover lands where condi- 
tions of settlement have not been fulfilled ; or by some 
legislative enactment to draw from the landowner 
such a proportion of local improvements in roads, Sec, 
as the public good requires. I found at the Surveyor- 
general's Office, that 81,200 acres were assigned in 
loyalist and military grants, in 1828 and 1829, while 
at the same time only 17,650 acres were taken up by 
settlers ; and if we suppose the settlement of a new 
country to proceed in this proportion, and reflect that 
two-sevenths are reserved for the Crown and clergy, 
and besides a certain portion that is always unimprov- 
able, the burden of labour for unavoidable objects 



LOWER CANADA. 309 

such as roads, bridges, &c,, which is borne by the re- 
sidents, will fall too heavily upon such a scanty po- 
pulation. 

At Prescott we saw an uncommon large steam-boat 
upon the stocks, for Lake Ontario ; she was to carry 
4,000 barrels of flour, with two engines of 140 horse 
power each, and she was to be launched soon. 

The whole population of Upper Canada may be 
taken at above 200,000 ; but I could not obtain in- 
formation of the number of emigrants arriving an- 
nually. 



•D 



LOWER CANADA. 

In descending the St. Lawrence and entering 
Lower Canada, the difference in the crops, climate, 
and agriculture is striking, and all against the lower 
province ; but the inhabitants consider themselves as 
compensated for their longer winter, in the health they 
enjoy and the purity of their atmosphere. It ought 
to be remarked, therefore, that in Upper Canada as 
in the Genessee country, and especially near bodies of 
fresh water, the fever and the ague is complained of; 
and, in unhealthy seasons, the autumnal bilious fever, 
so frequent in the middle parts of the United States. 

The agriculture upon the St. Lawrence is for the 
most part upon the old French system, repeated upon 
the same fields without intermission, until they are quite 
exhausted ; and if the valley through which it flows 
had not been very fertile, the inhabitants would have 
been long since driven back to the cultivation of new 



310 commissioner's report. 

lands. The mode of settlement upon seigneuries, the 
desire to be near their church, the plain, sociable, 
kind-hearted character of the Canadians, all conspire 
to make them cling together, as long as subsistence 
can be got : not only the external customs, but the 
politeness of old France, is distinguishable at once 
among these simple peasants. 

Upon the island of Montreal a superior degree of 
agriculture is evident, and I was informed it arose 
from some English and Scotch farmers having bought 
out the leases of the Canadians, and determined to 
live upon the seigneuries. 

The seigneurs to whom lands were originally al- 
lotted by the Crown, were regarded, under the old 
French regime, more as agents for the settlement of 
the province, than barons for its defence or war- 
service ; and the Canadian seigneur re-granted his 
leases, in perpetuity, at a rent certain, not to be 
raised ; and whenever the lessee sold his lease to 
another, the seigneur was entitled to one-twelfth of 
the sale price, as an alienation fine, but to no fine 
by inheritance ; so that the present holders pay no 
more as rent, than the sums originally agreed for, 
which are mostly light, from 10s. to IZ. for the lot. 

On the other hand, the seigneur has his duties to 
perform for the benefit of the settlement. He must 
build a grist-mill, and have it going, or able to grind 
every week-day in the year, and he must make the 
roads required by law. His tenant is also obliged to 
grind his corn at the seigneur's mill. These are the 



LOWER CANADA. 311 

principal obligations between them ; and the size of 
the farm granted is usually of three arpents in front, 
by 30 deep, or rather under 70 acres. The shape of 
these farms explains the street-like appearance of all 
their settlements. 

It is curious that in Upper Canada the English 
should have adopted the term concession, and laid 
out roads by the diagram, from the French practice. 

Whenever a seigneury is disposed of, an alienation 
fine of one-fifth sale's price is paid to the Crown ; 
thus the one -fifth to the Crown is called the King's 
quints, and the one-twelfth to the seigneur his lods et 
vejites. 

I arrived at Quebec on the 6th of August, and pre- 
sented my letter to Sir James Kempt, who immedi- 
ately sent circulars of introduction to the heads of the 
several Crown-land departments; and with an un- 
abated strain of kindness and attention, in addition to 
his practical experience, contributed his utmost to my 
assistance while in Lower Canada. 

The Crown's rights and interests in lands in Lower 
Canada, are, — 

1st. Paramount rights over seigneuries granted to 
private individuals, upon which the Crown receives 
its quints on sales. 

2d. Lands en roture, which the Crown as seigneur 
has ceded to occupying individuals, and retains its 
one-twelfths or lods et rentes. 

3d. Townships granted in free and common sec- 



312 commissioner's report. 

4th. Ungranted lands, grantable in any manner it 
may please the Crown. 

By the Inspector of the King's revenue and 
estates, who had only been in office about two years, 
I was informed that a large amount might be consi- 
dered due to the Crown, for unclaimed mutation fines 
for the last 29 years; that in 1801 an Act of the 
Provincial Legislature was passed, annulling all fines 
then due to the Crown upon former alienations, but 
confirming those unpaid .upon the last sale, and that 
the sum then accumulated upon many years of negli- 
gence, must have been large. That of the other sum 
above stated as having accrued since 1801, about 
half may be considered recoverable, &c. But having 
received a particular statement from him of the con- 
cerns under his care, I have presented a copy of it, 
lest I should have done him an injustice by using ex- 
planations of my own. 

From the Commissioner of the Jesuits' estates, I 
learned that they are seven in number, containing 
originally 793,342 arpents, from which deducting the 
amount conceded of 221,934 arpents, leaves 571,408, 
equal to 485,700 acres, remaining grantable. These 
estates were in the hands of the Jesuits before the 
conquest, when they devolved to the Crown ; but 
were permitted to remain in the order till the death 
of the last of the brethren in 1800. They were mostly 
bequeathed by several testators, in consideration of 
services performed by the Jesuits, by converting In- 
dians to Christianity, and in compensation for their 



LOWER CANADA. 313 

losses, expenses, '&c. But it is needless to dwell 
further upon what has already been the subject of 
correspondence. 

The circumstance of the English and French laws 
being both in force in the same province, must create 
confusion, and impede its advancement in prosperity. 
It is equally unpleasant for the Canadian to settle 
upon the townships, as for the English to go upon 
the seigneuries. 

From the Surveyor-general's Office I learned that 
the number of townships organized and surveyed, in 
whole or in part, in all Lower Canada, was 134; and 
that the whole disposable amount of acres belonging 
to the Crown will be about five millions and three- 
quarters, viz. : 
Remaining un granted in the surveyed 

townships .... 1,450,000 
Crown reserves, when appropriated . 1,040,000 



Acres . . 2,490,000 

In the projected townships . . 3,233,000 



Acres . , 5,723,000 



But as projected townships are of too vague a 
nature to form a reliance upon, it would not leave 
more than two millions and a half available in the 
lower province, which, from an inspection of the 
map, one would suppose must be erroneous, and 
projected townships mean no more than ideal lines in 
an unexplored country. 



314 commissioner's report. 

The number of acres in the townships laid down 
on a map annexed to a Report of the House of As- 
sembly, 1829, and south of the St. Lawrence, are 
stated by estimate at 5,500,000. The number in the 
seigneuries, including Anticosti, is 11,000,000 ar- 
pents, or 8,400,000 acres, to which may be added the 
lands north of the St. Lawrence, on the Saguenay, 
and in the Gaspe district, the whole of which may 
be IS or 20 millions, and it would seem almost im- 
possible but that there must be more land available 
for settlement. The Sixth Report of a Committee 
on Lands, made to the House of Assembly in 1821, 
returns 150 towTiships granted in free and common 
soccage, which have been surveyed since 1795, con- 
taining acres ' accordes' 2,203,709, and the reserves 
for the Crown and clergy, 885,365, which is equal to 
one-fifth of the ' accordes,' or 40 per cent, upon the 
whole. 

Take the whole number on the map . 5,500,000 
Deduct two-sevenths of 5,500,000, the 
number which is to be reserved for the 
Crown and the clergy . . 1,571,430 

Would leave grantable . . 3,928,570 

There have been ' accordes' . . 2,203,709 



Remain . 1,724,861 

Add thereto, the amount of Crown re- 
serves which may be considered avail- 
able, say one-seventh of 5,500,000 . 785,715 

Total available 2,510,576 



LOWER CANADA. 315 

Which gives an amount nearly the same as the Sur- 
veyor-General's Statement, exclusive of the projected 
townships, at which, therefore, it may be safe to 
take it. 

The Surveyor- General also, in evidence before a 
Committee of the House of Assembly, 1823, esti- 
mates the whole extent of Lower Canada at 1 50,000 
superficial miles, of which not more than 30,000 
have been explored, and are tolerably known, which 
would be equal to about 19 millions of acres. 

The size of a township in Lower Canada is 64,000 
acres gross, deducting 5 per cent, for highways, 
leaves 61,000 net. 

Again, the early surveys were frequently made by 
order of the grantees, without an after-examination 
to prove their correctness ; and it is notorious that, 
in early times, so little attention was paid to exactness, 
and in the few instances where I could learn that at- 
tempts at verification had been made, such errors had 
been discovered, I could not recommend the adop- 
tion of any system of settlement without previous in- 
vestigation to ascertain their authenticity. Without 
this a lawsuit would be the consequence of every grant, 
and the seeds of endless litigation and hostility planted 
in every settlement. 

With the progress of things the duties of the Sur- 
veyor-General's department have varied exceedingly. 
When the province was new and unexplored, topogra- 
phical knowledge was of the first importance, and it 
was expected from this department only. But when 



316 commissioner's report. 

the province has advanced, the principal duties of the 
Surveyor-general consist in performing practical ad- 
measurements, in having faithful and correct plans 
and maps preserved for inspection, vi^ith the means of 
illustration by the surveyor's field notes ; but the duty 
of an office of record, as it appears to me, ought to be 
kept separate, not to be mixed up with the surveyor's 
plans, nor the settlers' names inscribed upon them. 

All records of landed transactions, I should think, 
are more attached to the office of Commissioner of 
Crown lands, which has sprung up of late years. 

With the Commissioner of Crown lands I had the 
pleasure of frequent intercourse, and found his books 
and accounts clear and regular. A statement of his 
sales and receipts of land, which I believe are of 
Crown reserves, from the 1st January 1828 to the 1st 
June 1830, have been presented ; by which it will ap- 
pear that in that time he had sold 58,798 acres. 

In the last six months he had not sold above 5,000 
acres, but in the six months preceding 10,000, because 
his public sales by auction take place in October ; 
and it will be found that his sales run from 2s. 6d. to 
105. the acre. By orders from home he advertises 
land for sale at public auction, and at an upset price, 
and as it rarely happens that two people are compe- 
titors for the same lot in a wild state, they combine 
against him, and the result operates against an ad- 
vance in price. 

He is also instructed to offer more favourable con- 
ditions to the purchaser of a 50-acre lot than to one 



LOWER CANADA. 317 

of a common size ; the result of which is to take the 
labourer out of the labour-market, and to make him a 
poor settler. He thinks that sales to the extent of 
5,000Z. per annum may be effected from the leased 
Crown reserves, and a further amount from those un- 
tenanted, which will go on increasing. He showed 
me a memorandum of sale of 20,350 acres, reserves, 
of which say one-fourth were leased, one-third partly- 
leased, and the remainder, or nearly one-half, in a 
wilderness state; the leased sold at 7s. 6d.^ some in 
the Montreal district at 6s. 3d., and in the Quebec 
ditto at 3.9. 6d. the acre. The purchasers were Bri- 
tish emigrants, some Canadians, but no Americans. 

He showed me another memorandum of 276 lots 
originally leased in the province, 30 had been granted, 
134 held by persons who could show titles, the re- 
maining 112 had either been abandoned or were 
in possession of squatters; and of these 134, 31 
had been sold to tenants, and upon the remaining 103 
the annual rent is 386^. 5s. and there was due upon 
these leases 2,231Z. 8s. 10c?. 

In some of his statements the term quit-rent is im- 
properly used, for he does not grant upon quit-rent, 
but allows poor settlers to take up small lots, and pay- 
interest at 5 7o upon the purchase, with the right of 
paying up the principal when convenient to them, and 
a promise on his part to give them deeds, which is, in 
fact, more advantageous than settling upon a seig- 
neury. This is perfectly right, and the only improve- 
ment to be hinted should be for a time to be fixed for 



318 COMMISSIONER'S REPORT. 

payment of the principal, to prevent an unnecessary 
accumulation of small debtors. 

So many sales liave been made of lands heretofore 
under lease, that those in future may, for a time, not 
average so high. 

He has also the sale of the clergy reserves, and had 
received offers for parcels in different parts, in the 
whole to the amount of 12,000/. The average value 
per acre I did not understand, but I thought it as high 
as his other sales. The clergy, however, did not 
think the offers sufficient, and they consider that only 
one-fourth their interest in each township ought to be 
brought to market, and the other three-fourths reserved 
for future disposal. The v/ords of the Act of Parlia- 
ment, 7 & 8 Geo. 4, c. 62, are to authorize ' a sale of 
said clergy reserves, &c., not exceeding in either pro- 
vince one-fourth of the reserves within such pro- 
vince, &c.' 

About 500,000 acres are appropriated as clergy 
reserves, and perhaps 100,000 disposed of by lease, 
the net proceeds of which do not exceed 250Z. per 
annum, and four years ago did not pay the charge of 
collection. The township of Shefford being on a 
road which ought to be kept open, was lately offered 
for settlement. The Crown and clergy reserves in it 
amount to 17,838 acres, in distinct lots of 200 acres 
each ; but upon verification of the survey, they were 
found to run from 105 to 296 acres, a sad proof of 
the inaccuracy of old surveys. 

This discovery has obliged him to advertise in his 



LOWER Canada; Zlt9 

auction sales * that lots are sold by the contents in 
acres marked in the public documents, without 
guarantee of the actual quantity/ He has, in fact, 
no other course. 

The rents or dues for timber cut in the lower pro- 
vince are at present less than those in the upper, 
owing to the greater accessibility, by means of small 
streams flowing into the Ottawa, from the upper than 
from the lower province ; but the quantity of timber 
is supposed as great in one as in the other. By the 
natural course of things, that which is most accessible 
will come first to market. It ought to be borne in 
mind that there is a peculiar danger in this species 
of property, to which it must be ever liable, that of 
fire in a dry season, and of which the sufferings of 
New Brunswick afford a memorable and terrible ex- 
ample. On every account, therefore, it would be 
well to have it realized, while it contributes so much 
to the benefit of the province as it now does, by 
giving employment to the lumber man, and to British 
vessels trading to Quebec. 

Above 2,000 lumbermen and rafters were employed 
upon the Ottawa alone, and 600 vessels, with 7,743 
men, were reported at Quebec in 1829. 

His Majesty's government had formerly been in 
the practice of giving lands gratuitously to encourage 
the settlement of the province. By the Report of 
1821, already quoted, 2,203,709 acres were appro- 
priated, of which 1,472,394 were conceded by one 
governor between 1799 and 1805 ; and failing in this 



320 commissioner's report. 

object, the new system of sale has been resorted to, 
and as far as it has been tried it answers well. The 
public sales have been already noticed ; but it may be 
well to add, that from the application of some Cana- 
dian youths, a tract was laid out near the Chaudiere 
and River Famine, which was sold last October, and 
went off well. Under a prudent management this 
mode will insure the accumulation of a fund sufficient 
to meet all charges incidental to the settlement of the 
Crown lands, and might leave a surplus. 

It appears by one of the Reports of the Legislature 
that about 250,000 acres had been appropriated to 
the militia, for services in the late war, and that 
€4,000 were held under certificates of location ; but 
it was generally said that many small grants had 
been bought up, and that some individuals held large 
quantities. The new system was begun in 1826, 
and had just begun to take root, when, in 1S2S, new 
orders came out, interfering with its operation, but 
not entirely superseding it ; by these gratuitous grants 
were restored in favour of half-pay officers, and (for 
a limited period) officers and soldiers of the late 
militia. The effect of these orders was certainly to 
check the disposition to purchase lands, and to depre- 
ciate their value. 

The soil of the townships south of the St. Law- 
rence is different from that of the valley through 
which it runs, and more adapted to grazing farms and 
pasturage. The country is irregular, of frequent 
rolling swells, as in Vermont, to which state it joins. 



LOWER CANADA. 321 

and is said to be of the same sort of land. I under- 
stood that the Vermonters had crossed the line, and 
partially occupied several townships, bringing with 
them their own municipal customs ; and that when 
the impropriety of electing their own officers was 
pointed out to them, they had quietly given them up, 
and promised to conform to those of Canada. Good 
stage roads are open, and in daily use, and travellers 
pass from the Canada line to any part of the United 
States ; this fact, however, seems to call attention to 
the settlement of the townships, and the Americans 
would readily sell their Betterments to European 
emigrants, and move back, or take up new lands. 

This state of thinQ;s has been well observed and 
met by the vigilance of Sir James Kempt, who for 
two years past has directed the location of emigrants 
upon the townships of Leeds and Inverness, under 
the management of the Commissioner of Crown 
Lands and the Government agent for emigrants, now 
residing at Quebec ; by whose permission to occupy, 
an emigrant may now go on, immediately after his 
arrival, to either of these townships, and take up his 
lot upon paying one-fourth of his purchase-money ; 
and a poor man may take up half a lot, upon paying 
five per cent, upon the valuation in advance, and the 
same rate of interest upon it until he is able to pay 
for the whole : and as soon as he has paid his consi- 
deration money lie is entitled to his deed. These 
settlements are conducted with much skill, economy, 
and practical knowledge, and will be frequently re- 

Y 



322 commissioner's report. 

ferred to in case of the adoption of any system of 
emigration : first, the idea of continuing them along 
the road called Craig's Road to Vermont, through 
townships run out and partially settled, is a happy 
one, as, instead of settling the wilderness without an 
object in view, it is the mean of filling up an inter- 
mediate blank, and of connecting separate districts 
already in high improvement. 

In 1829, upon the reserves in Inverness, 39 fa- 
milies were placed, to whom 3,890 acres were sold, 
at 4s. the acre, from whom bll. 18s. as first payments, 
and some quit-rents, were received, and 98/. 15s. 9d, 
was expended upon their roads. In 1830, on the 
«ame township, to the 1st August, 35 families were 
placed, to whom 3,700 acres were sold; 611. was 
received from them, and bOl. expended on roads. 
The reserves remaining disposable are, in the Crown 
81 J lots, and in the clergy 31 ; total 112 J lots, con- 
taining 22,500 acres. 

Gratuitous grants were made in 1829 to 21 per- 
sons, containing 2,300 acres ; and in 1830 to three 
persons, containing 600 acres ; and, in addition to 
the open Crown lands, there is a quantity, supposed 
liable to escheat, of perhaps 10,000 acres. 

The above return of 31 open clergy reserves, with 
6,200 acres, would leave only one lot of 200 acres 
for a resident clergyman ; but the clergy claim three- 
fourths, as before mentioned, in which case their 
disposable lots would be only eight, or 1,600 acres, 
instead of 6,200 acres. 



LOWER CANADA. 323 

In June 1829 the number of emigrants in Inverness 
was 86, and they had 220 acres under crop. lu 
1830, August 26, there were 750 inhabitants, who 
had 1,035 acres under crop; and 79 famihes were 
in the progress of settlement in that town, between 
the 1st June and that day ; and 25 or 30 more were 
expected, who had mostly engaged their lots, which 
makes an addition of nearly 500 souls within the last 
two years. 

A Court of Escheat is instituted in Lower Canada, 
and a judge appointed ; but no causes have yet been 
tried ; much benefit would no doubt accrue from its 
operations, especially if commenced after a Gover- 
nor's proclamation (according to the idea of Sir 
James Kempt), declaring the object of Government, 
and commencing with an attempt to liberate such 
lands as stand in the way of settlement. 

The number of emigrants arrived this year was 
much greater than in any previous. In 1829 the 
whole number was 15,945, and when I left Quebec, 
at the end of August 1830, the number was 25,000, 
and the Autumn fleet not having arrived, it may not 
be over sanguine to expect a probable number for 
this year of 28,000 or more. The duties of the 
Government agent are, to give every assistance to 
the emigrant upon his arrival, to protect him from 
imposition, to place him upon a lot, or find labour 
for him, of which hand-bills or notices being posted 
up, his business is universally known, and his office 
is generally thronged. His advertisements in the 

y2 



324 commissioner's report. 

newspapers invite those in want of labourers to apply 
to him ; and his object is to distribute those who have 
families in Quebec or near it, and the single men at 
greater distance. Many labour on board of vessels, 
on rafts, wharfs, or in the timber yards, or are 
engaged as servants; the Government works take off 
many: and they are encouraged to deposit their 
earnings in the savings-bank. Lists of townships 
open for settlement are in his office, to the location 
agent in either of which, whether in Upper or Lower 
Canada, he gives the emigrant a ticket of recom- 
mendation. 

By the Governor's orders public notices are print- 
ed, not only explaining the roads to be travelled, but 
the charges also to which the poor person is liable. 
In fact, the object is to shield the emigrant from im- 
position, and put him in profitable employment as soon 
as possible, with the utmost saving of his slender 
means. To the success attending these plans already 
detailed it may be added, that it was a current remark 
at Quebec, that however large the arrival of emigrants, 
the town had never been so clear of beggars. It is 
the agent's duty also to visit the settlements occa- 
sionally, the nearest of which is 36 miles from 
Quebec. The plans are now generally understood, 
and show the good feelings and good sense with 
which they have been got up. 

To the eye of a rapid traveller no j^eople can ap- 
pear more contented and comfortable, or more abun- 
dant in kind feelings than the Canadians ; and I can- 



LOWER CANADA, 325 

not but believe tbat however certain proceedings in 
their Parliament may show dissatisfaction, it is not 
the feeling of the province generally. It is notorious 
in all new countries, that the bulk of information is 
among professional men, and that the agriculturist 
is comparatively unenlightened, for he lives secluded 
from the world, and performs the work of a day 
labourer upon his own farm. In Canada, however, 
the seigneurs, as a landed interest, must have a con- 
trolHng influence, and I confess that I should not 
object to it, as an open aristocratical balance, in 
their own right. 

Perhaps I ought to be altogether silent upon pro- 
vincial politics ; but the fact is so apparent to me, 
that all the wealth and importance of the Canadas 
have grown out of British protection, and the circu- 
lation of British capital, and that a continuation of 
their prosperity is so inseparably connected with 
these, that I cannot refrain from explaining myself, 
that a state of independence would, as I apprehend, 
reduce them to perfect want, if not to misery. Con- 
nected with the mother country, I see no reason why 
they might not go on prosperously for ages. The 
desired object should be to give to both as much 
happiness and prosperity as the connexion can com- 
mand. 

It is therefore devoutly to be wished that the 
financial question, which has so long agitated their 
Parliament, may be settled upon a basis of mutual 
satisfaction. 



526 commissioner's report. 

It is necessary to refer to the question of fees in 
the land-granting departments ; for the settlers press 
for their deeds, which are not yet given, because the 
fees are not determined upon, and are regarded as 
vested rights by those to whom they are due. A 
tariif was established in 1797, when large grants were 
made, and it apportioned them by the 1,000 acres^ 
but took no notice of smaller grants ; and when they 
are reduced in that ratio to the 100-acre lot, they 
will not pay the clerk hire of the officers, one of 
■whom assured me that he only wished them to be 
placed upon the fair principle of ' quantum meruit.' 
The Council did indeed recommend another tariif of 
fees in 1828, which amounts to 21. lbs. per deed ; 
and this is again objected to by the settler, who is 
usually six or or eight years in collecting his 201. 
to pay for his land ; and payment for the purchase 
being itself a novelty, he considers all other charges 
as grievances. 

It is the usual practice of proprietors in the United 
States, to authorise agents to convey lots by power of 
attorney, and I would take leave to suggest something 
of this nature as the most simple, and, under all 
circumstances of the case, the most equitable mode 
of proceeding. 

It is to be remarked also, that by Act of Parlia- 
ment, 31 Geo. 3, c. 36, one-seventh of all lands 
granted in the province, is reserved for the clergy, 
and one-seventh for the Crown, and the expression is 
positive, to reserve one-seventh of every grant for 



LOWER CANADA. 31? 

the benefit and use of the clergy ; so that although 
a seventh part of a township be originally reserved as 
directed, it becomes necessary, in making out deeds 
of reserves, to reserve again another seventh of the 
seventh part. This surely could never have been the 
intention of Government ; and if the evil cannot be 
remedied by instructions, it may be well to have the 
Act examined, and if thought proper, corrected. 

The population of Lower Canada is stated to have 
been 65,338 in 1784, and 428,000 in 1823, by the 
Surveyor-general's evidence before a Committee, in 
January 1824; and taking their ratio of increase at 
3J per cent, compound interest, it would now give 
an aggregate of 544,000 souls. 

Having accomplished most of my duties at Que- 
bec, I proceeded, on the 30th August, for New 
Brunswick by the Grand Portage. The road through 
Beaumont, St. Valieres, L' Islette, &c., to Kamou- 
raska is excellent ; much upon a natural terrace above 
the noble St. Lawrence, and through a dense but 
narrow settlement, is beautiful. The land, in gene- 
ral, is worked to exhaustion, crops poor, and appa- 
rently yielding a scanty subsistence for the population. 
On the north side of the river, the hills or mountains 
are mostly cultivated; not so on the south side, 
where the country is mostly low, and the hills to- 
wards the end of our journey, sterile. A change of 
climate for the worse is evident in this short distance. 
At St. Andre the river is 17 miles across. AVe left 
it (Sept. 1) and passed through some new settle- 
ments, all from reclaimed swamps, for five or six 



328 commissioxer'sreport. 

miles, to the river de Loup : this was a frosty morn- 
ing, the potatoe fields were all black, and their tops 
killed ; much of the wheat was green. The River 
de Loup, when its waters are swollen by the melting 
of the snows, may be considerable, but when we 
passed over the bridge, it appeared reduced to 40 
yards wide, and not knee-deep. The next river was 
a much smaller one, the Green River, about eight or 
ten miles from the St. Lawrence, into which both 
these streams run ; and the next we arrived at was 
a trifling stream also, the St. Francis, about 15 miles 
from the St. Lawrence, running towards the south. 

I have been particular in these remarks, because 
we were then upon the disputed territory. 

The portage is about 36 miles across ; we passed 
it easily before sunset ; the roads, though bad, better 
than I expected. There were two or three high 
mountains ; much swamp ; a great part of it a com- 
plete bed of rocks ; and on the whole way through 
the woods it offers very little encouragement for set- 
tlement. 

The Temiscouata Lake is about 30 miles long, but 
we only passed along about half of it. The land was 
generally inferior, but on the western side were several 
sv/ells of good land. There are not above three or 
four settlements visible. The Madawaska River is 
the outlet of the lake, and we descended the whole of 
it, about 30 miles. It is of a quick current, about 30 
or 40 yards wide, and its banks are in general capable 
of cultivation. There were six or eight settlers upon 
them ; some were doing well ; one showed me a body 



ON BOTH PROVINCES. 329 

of above 30 acres under cultivation ; but they were 
in fear of frost, as their wheat was in the miik. 

The autumn-sowed wheat is always winter-killed, 
and they therefore sow their grain as early as possible 
in the spring ; which is frequently done upon a winter 
fallow, without a second ploughing, and only har- 
rowed in, while a thin surface is thawed ; thus their 
wheat ripens earlier. 



GENERAL REMARKS ON THE PROVINCES. 

The first remark which presents itself is upon their 
inconvenient shape; a long narrow belt of settlement, 
upon the northern boundary of a powerful neighbour, 
capable of being pierced through or overrun at will. 
But as that neighbour has immense forests of his own 
to subdue and settle ; as his migrating population 
prefer a milder climate, and the annexation of the 
British provinces to him would make but a small ad- 
dition to his exports, and produce nothing which he 
does not produce ; it is fair to presume he would not 
be misled by ambitious feeelinofs of doubtful advan- 
tage. The first and leading object to us should be, 
at all events, to give them compactness and solidity ; 
to condense the population and give it breadth, at the 
same time to connect the different provinces together, 
by any and every means of commercial intercourse 
and internal communication. 

Their increase of population has been, and conti- 
nues to be, so astonisliingly rapid, that it is well 



330 commissioner's report. 

to note it particularly. By minutes of Evidence 
before a Committee of the House of Assembly, 
Quebec, 1824, it appears that the whole population 
of Lower Canada, in 1784, was . . 65,338 

Nova Scotia, by Haliburton, then was , 32,000 
New Brunswick and Newfoundland, say 12,000 



Total . 109,338 



Upper Canada then was nothing, making a 

Total of, say .... 110,000 



The present population may be taken at 

For Upper Canada . . . 200,000 

For Lower Canada . . . 544,000 

For New Brunswick . . . 80,000 

For Nova Scotia . . . 130,000 
For Cape Breton, Newfoundland and Prince 

Edward's Island, say . . . 100.000 



Total . 1,054,000 



Here then is almost a tenfold increase in 46 years, 
which shows a duplicating ratio every 14, and is 
rather better than an increase at 5 per cent, com- 
pound interest. This however is, in a great degree, 
an emigrating increase, and not a natural one. The 
United States are found to double every 24 years, 
which is equal to 3 per cent, at compound interest ; 
and if a partial view of one of their new western 



GENERAL REMARKS. 33^1 

States only were to be taken, it would probably give 
a result equally extraordinary as that we are now ex- 
amining. 

But the increase of their commerce, navigation, con- 
sumption of British manufactures and provincial re- 
venues, are all equally striking, and worthy of close in- 
vestigation, as it only is of late years that their powers 
have been developed in so extraordinary a degree. 

About thirty years ago the whole export of Lower 
Canada consisted in peltry, and was taken off in 
three ships annually ; that of Nova Scotia was con- 
fined to vessels carrying fish and grindstones ; and 
of New Brunswick, to gypsum and lumber. In fact^ 
but a very few years ago, they were so insignificant 
as scarcely to attract attention. 

But in the last year, 1829, at the four ports of 
Quebec, St. John's, St. Andrew's, and Halifax, there 
were cleared outwards 5,140 vessels, with 644,959 
tons, and 31,048 seamen. This is by the Custom- 
house Returns, and if we add the actual clearances of 
the other Nova Scotia ports, for the year 1828, (sup- 
posing that those of 1829 might be as much,) it will 
exhibit an aggregate of 797,502 tons, and that with- 
out including Miramichi, Liverpool, Bathurst, New- 
foundland, &c. 

There were built in Lower Canada, in 1829, 
5,465 tons of vessels; in Nova Scotia, in 1828, 99 
vessels, containing 7,138 tons ; and in New Bruns- 
wick a larger amount than either of the two ; and as 
this statement does not comprise the ports of New- 



332 commissioner's report. 

foundland, it may not be too much to suppose that an 
entire aggregate of 850,000 tons, with 44,000 sea- 
men, were cleared from all the ports of the British 
North American provinces in the year 1829. 

I am aware that most of these vessels must have 
performed two voyages, and therefore that it may not 
be safe to estimate above half to the tonnage and 
seamen cleared, which would give a total employed 
by the colonial trade of 425,000 tons, and 22,000 
seamen, and about nine-tejiths in British vessels. 

Compare this to the American tonnage, by Water- 
ston's Tables, and it will be seen that the whole 
amount of tonnage belonging to the state of Massa- 
chusetts, (their greatest shipowner,) for foreign trade, 
coasting and fisheries, in 1826, was only 385,785 
tons ; and that of the State of New York, for the 
same year, 330,709 ; and that I have not taken into 
view the fishing business and boats of Newfoundland 
and Cape Breton, where every male between 18 and 
50 is a fisherman. 

The cause of this rapid expansion is to be attri- 
buted entirely to the Canada timber irade^ and the 
monopoly of the West Tndia trade. 

To those who measure the first by the quality of 
timber compared with the Baltic, or the policy of the 
second by the pressure of an extra price upon the 
planter's supplies, it is fair to explain the astonishing 
progress of British navigation which has sprung into 
existence under the late protecting policy : this in- 
valuable and indispensable nursery for seamen, which 



GENERAL REMARKS. 33S 

is the basis of all our naval power, the very life-blood 
of the empire, and the more important character of 
the provinces themselves, in conjunction with that 
power, as a bulwark to our other transatlantic pos- 
sessions. 

Nor as consumers of British manufactures are they 
to be unnoticed, for lumberers and fishermen are of 
all labourers the most extravagant ; and I believe it 
will be found that they import manufactures in full 
proportion to the augmentation of their commerce. 
Their consumption of West India produce is parti- 
cularly deserving notice, as being exclusively British ; 
so that in their intercourse with the mother-country 
and the island, all exchange of production is that of 
British industry ; all employment created, all profits 
accruing, are national, and contributing to the pros- 
perity of the empire. They have no feelings of com- 
petition or exclusiveness ; their interests are identified 
with ours. 

Many products can be supplied by them cheaper 
than elsewhere, but the length of the voyage requires 
a protecting duty ; and it is presumed that a reduc- 
tion of one farthing duty per pound upon the West 
India sugar consumed in England would be a com- 
pensation for all extra charge borne by the West 
India planter. 

The peculiar advantages in supplying new countries 
with manufactures is too sensibly felt at present to 
be dwelt upon ; but it is presumed that the circum- 
stances of the late v/ar developed it completely, and 



^34 commissoner's report. 

that the commerce of Great Britain was never more 
ilourishing than while she had that monopoly trade 
with her colonies and the new countries. If her 
Other colonies could increase in the same ratio as 
those of North America, and the establishment of 
more could give like results, the beneficial conse- 
quences are too apparent to be pointed out. 

But to return to the subject of my remarks, it ap- 
pears to me no more than a self-evident truism, that 
in the progress of advancement the late impetus may- 
be long continued before they reach their zenith ; 
and that the trade itself is of the safest possible nature, 
not interfering with any other British trade, but 
opening many new avenues to it. 

Their present condition on a small scale exhibits a 
miniature picture of the advantages of the colonial 
system, for which we have been so long in contention 
with our rival neighbour ; and in my humble opinion 
nothing is now wanting to add full effect and vigour 
to their internal prosperity also but a judicious and 
well- matured system for settling the country and 
arranging the land-granting departments. Many of 
their defects have been adverted to in travelling 
through each of the provinces, and remedies sug- 
gested, to which others may perhaps be added. 

If the colonies have been a charge to the mother- 
country, it has not been on account of the promotion 
■of settlements. 

I have stated the probable quantity of open land 
available for settlement in all the provinces at about 



GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS. 83$ 

twenty-three millions of acres. Say in Upper Canada, 
five and a half millions ; Lower Canada, five and a 
half millions ; New Brunswick, eleven millions ; and 
Nova Scotia, one million ; and this without estimating 
the unexplored districts. 

Such various opinions exist upon this head, that 
whether it can be approached within ten or twelve 
millions is still a doubt. A gentleman of the first 
respectability, who has for many years been zealous 
upon this subject, and given close attention to it, is of 
opinion that in the Saguenay country alone there are 
above six millions of acres of cultivable land. That 
noble river, with depth of water for the largest ship, 
for above 80 miles from the St. Lawrence, into which 
it flows from the northern side at Tadousac, having 
passed from Lake St. John in an easterly course, and 
along a valley well protected by a range of mountains 
to the north, is supposed to possess a climate not 
more severe than Quebec ; for the port of Tadousac 
is open two or three weeks earlier and later than 
Quebec. The communication is now practicable by 
canoes, from the Lake St. John to the St. Maurice, 
which flows into the St. Lawrence at Trois Rivieres. 
This country has been explored, though not surveyed, 
and the opinion formed of it is very favourable for 
settlement ; but at present it is under lease, which will 
not expire for several years. Other districts are 
«poken of with equal confidence, but mj returns have 
been derived from Government officers. If anything 
should be done in the way of colonization, I am con- 



33fi commissioner's report. 

iident that much information upon large tracts now 
unknown would gather upon us in every direction. 
The Saguenay country is particularly to be noticed, 
as it is approachable by steam-boats, and at present 
untouched and unfettered by grants and other claim- 
ants. It might also be a question whether a modifi- 
cation of the Canadian practice of settling by seig- 
neuries might not be used there to advantage, as the 
inhabitants now crowd round the place of their birth 
in preference to settling upon the townships. 

Similar remarks apply to that part of Upper Canada 
which borders upon Lake Huron, upon which I have 
procured valuable information, and deposited it in the 
office ; and it may be worthy of remark that the course 
of the rivers indicates a natural communication from 
the Saguenay to the Huron by the Gatineau and 
Ottawa, which at some future day will doubtless be 
availed of. 

If a project of colonization could be formed to 
carry along with it the approbation of the colonists, 
and the support of the provincial legislatures, a result 
more satisfactory than has yet been known, would 
undoubtedly be produced. Small expenditures from 
Government would give great practical aid to new 
settlers. The name of a Government operation is in 
itself a host ; and all the provincial parliaments are 
liberally disposed upon subjects of general interest, 
and their taxes and imposts are really so light, that 
they can afford powerful aid. From the several state- 
ments of sums collected at different times, from sales 



GENERAL REMARKS. 337 

of land, and rents from timber, it will be seen that the 
lands have within themselves the means of defraying 
much of the necessary expenses of bringing them for- 
ward. 

In this case, I should recommend all their proceeds 
to be appropriated to such purposes and internal im- 
provements ; and above all things, that in the first set- 
tlements, appointments of elementary schools should 
be made, and as soon as possible afterwards that of 
a resident clergyman. As religious and parochial 
duties are performed by curates in England for small 
compensations, I would respectfully suggest, whether 
more moral benefit would not acrue to the colony by- 
increasing the number of the clergy, at smaller sti- 
pends to those who join new settlements. 

The late orders from home, or New System, as it 
is called in the colonies, contemplates a sale of land 
by retail, for the collection of a revenue, without suf- 
ficient discrimination (as it appears to me) of the 
state and situation of the lots offered for sale, &c. ; 
for in Upper Canada the lands will be more valuable 
than in the lower province ; and Crown reserves, 
brought into notice by the settlement of adjoining 
lands, are everywhere much more so than lands ' in 
natura! 

The correct principles to act upon in colonization, 
are to give encouragement to the settler in propor- 
tion to the difficulties and privations he must en- 
counter, and to relax gradually from it according^to 
the advance of population, and the improvement of 

z 



338 COMMISSIONER'S REPORT. 

the colony — to induce people of capital to unite in 
works of general utility*, and to avoid a recurrence of 
absentee proprietorships ; and for the Crown to have 
reserves, or the practice of raising prices, or in some 
way or other to be remunerated for the expenses un- 
avoidably incurred : but in the first stage of settle- 
ment, to take no more pay from the settler than the 
cost of survey ; and in the newest districts to receive 
payments by labour upon roads (on the principle of 
settling duties), or in kind, by supplies of grain and 
provisions advanced to succeeding settlers ; thus may 
the amount of one instalment, or its value in kind, 
be transferred from settler to settler, without any 
original advance ; and as far as this goes, the lands 
will pay their own expense of settlement. But the 
principle should always be applied to the gradual and 
ultimate appreciation of the value of land, as a part of 
the natural growth of a colony, by which the soil is 
cleared of its trees, converted into a farm, produces 
and re-produces capital ; from whence the wheel of 
human intercourse turns naturally round, and the co- 
lony takes leave of its parent, to send off" new swarms 
in new directions. 

On Emigration. 
In taking up the subject of emigration, I am aware of 
entering upon difficult ground, as it has been already 
investigated with so much more talent than I can 
pretend to. 

Much was said to me in the colonies upon the two 
* See note, K, Appendix. 



EMIGRATION. 339^ 

questions of spontaneous and regulated emigration ; 
and the great evil of which they complain was the 
entire absence of wholesome regulation. I feel, there- 
fore, fully convinced, whatever course may be ulti- 
mately adopted, even if the present loose mode is to 
go on, that the necessity of reducing it to a system 
will be forced upoji us ; that is, whether we consider 
the poor man's comfort on leaving his native soil, his 
estabhshment in the wilderness of a new country, the 
manner in which he is to be received by the province,, 
or his means of adding to its prosperity, they are all 
questions of high import, and have a claim to consi- 
deration and provisional arrangement. 

Many regard the transmission of a part of our re- 
dundant population in the exclusive light of parish or 
national relief; of which, indeed, there was an example- 
while I was in Quebec, in the arrival of the ship 
'Two Brothers' with 153 emigrants dispatched by 
the magistrates, after their passage-money had been 
collected by public subscription, and so acknow- 
ledged in their letter to the superintendant of the 
Emigrant-office. So much liberality and kindness- 
had been uniformly manifested by the inhabitants 
of the city to desultory arrivals, that it is not sur- 
prising (as these came under the appearance of 
authority) that a great dissatisfaction should have been 
created ; and it is to be feared that it may end in the 
passing of some provincial law to check the future 
indiscriminate shipment of paupers. 

It is well to state here, that they have an emigrant 

z2 



340 commissioner's report, 

hospital at Quebec, supported by provincial grants, 
into which 91 patients were received during the 
month when I was there. But some charity for the 
widows and orphans of emigrants ought to be ex- 
tended from hence. 

In case any regulated plan should be seriously 
got up, that part of it relating to embarkation and 
passage will be easily arranged : some person should 
be appointed at every port of embarkation, to give 
the necessary facilities to their departure, and guard 
as much as possible against their suffering, for these 
poor people now undergo mucli misery unknown to 
others, and which might be prevented. 

The cost of passage is pretty well regulated by the 
force of competition ; adults are taken from Liver- 
pool at 3/. per head, from Dublin and Cork at 21. 105., 
and from a western port in Ireland at 21. ; their pro- 
visions will cost about 35s. or 40s. from Liverpool, 
and 25.S. or 30s. from Ireland and Scotland ; so that 
the total of passage and provisions for an adult, 
may range from 4/. 15s. to 3/. 5s. ; children under 
14 years at half, and under seven years at one-third, 
price. 

These prices may not be precisely exact, but they 
are very nearly so ; they are however regulated upon 
the idea of a full complement of passengers, who are 
always to be ready at the ship's time ; and the ship 
fmds berthing, water, fuel, and cooking utensils. 

There is so much spare tonnage outwards to the 
provinces, by the manner in which the timber trade 



EMIGRATION. 341 

is carried on, tliat its peculiar facilities ought not to 
be overlooked. During the year 1829, the ships 
cleared from the ports of Quebec and St. John's, to 
Great Britain and Ireland, consisted of above 340,000 
tons ; and as three passengers are allowed to five 
tons, and in some roomy vessels three to four tons, 
the mutual and reciprocal advantages of the passenger 
and timber trades are plainly seen, and the benefit 
accruing is altogether national. 

Thus far we have advanced without difficulty, the 
whole case being one of simple calculation. 

But when we come to place the emigrant in the 
wilderness of a new country, unless he is to move 
under some regulated system, got up under foresight, 
reflection, and previous arrangement, it will be like 
giving him a stone when he asks for bread. At 
present many go on without knowing the boundaries 
of their lots, or whether they have any, or indeed 
whether they will ever obtain a title. In all such 
instances are sown the seeds of disorder and disaffec- 
tion to Government. 

It may be well first to consider the expense actually 
incurred in locating individuals upon the late experi- 
mental settlements. The emigration of 1823, after 
deducting cost of passage, gave 15/. 8.s. 9d. per head. 
That of 1825 gave 13Z. lis. 8cZ. ; and a more recent 
experiment in the town of Ops, in Upper Canada, 
gave 3Z. 2s. Qd. ; but it would be unsafe to assume 
either of these as data for further proceedings ; for 
in the two first cases many abandoned their lots and 



342 commissioner's report. 

increased the average cost, altliough their places 
have been supplied since ; and the situation of Ops 
was too near to other settlements to call it a be- 
ginning in the wilderness ; on this account the sum 
of 400/. was limited to it ; but I understood from a 
gentleman who had access to the disbursement 
accounts, that 1000/. would probably be sufficient to 
set a new settlement fairly off with, but without the 
expense of mills. 

I believe the township of Cavan, in Upper Canada, 
was settled also without advance. 

In Lower Canada the unoccupied Crown reserves 
in the townships of Inverness and Leeds, have been 
sold to settlers who are doing very well, and free of 
cost to Government ; so much so, that the county 
in which they are, contained, the 1st of May 1829, 
only 523 souls, and in September 1830, it exceeded 
2000, which was almost entirely owing to the in- 
crease of those townships. More settlers might also 
have been added last autumn, but they were deterred 
by an insufficiency of provisions on the spot, and the 
expense of drawing them from a distance. But again, 
this settlement of reserves, as the name implies, was 
a secondary one. 

Among the Reports of Committees of the House 
of Assembly in Lower Canada, 1829, I find an in- 
teresting communication upon the settlement of new 
lands, with an estimate of the cost of locating 150 
poor families, stated at 900/., or 6/, each, with the 
idea not only that it is to be repaid in six years, but 



EMIGRATION. 94Z 

of the probability of as much more being gained by 
the advance, exclusive of the value of the lands 
settled ; and this effect is proposed to be produced by 
supplying the settler with labour upon the spot, in the 
shape of a public farm, from which he is to receive 
payments in provisions, and no other public work to 
be effected. 

Many respectable people are of opinion of the 
safety of advances to settlers, and even regard it as a 
profitable operation. But I can only say that my 
experience obliges me to take the other side decidedly; 
and without even considering the risk, it is to be 
remarked that the advances alone would gather rapidly 
to a very heavy amount, in case an extensive system 
of emigration should be acted upon, which might 
gradually and insensibly swell so much as to create 
dissatisfaction and disgust, and finally either break up 
the whole system, or cause its falling by its own 
weight. 

But if it be ultimately determined upon aiding the 
settler in the first occupancy of the wilderness or to 
bring the waste lands of the Crown into action, my 
advice would be, first, to determine, with considera- 
tion, where the settlements are to be, and then to 
survey the lands into townships and lots of 100 
acres each, and this will take up six months previous 
arrangement at least. 

Afterwards I should be decidedly of opinion to 
prefer giving assistance by finding labour for him 
to earn the supplies he wants, to any advance of 



344 commissioner's report. 

money or funds to be used at his ovvn discretion. 
Emigrants arriving with a few pounds in their 
pockets, are said to hang about the town and spend 
all before they move, and especially such as have been 
assisted by the .parish ; and the change of circum- 
stances, from parochial relief to competent rations, 
regularly distributed, and the independent feelings 
attached to the ownership of lands, all conspire to 
work a change in the moral feelings of the man, and 
the provincial rate of daily wages lifts him above 
absolute dependence. Upon his gratitude I should 
place no reliance, nor much security upon the in- 
creased value of his lot, which, if unoccupied for a 
few years, returns to its former valueless condition. 
The fact is, he requires to be kept in a constant state 
of excitement and exertion against his first difficul- 
ties ; some stimulant is necessary, and money is a 
sedative. 

If labour is found for him to resort to, whenever 
his own farm does not require it, during his first 
year's occupation, it would remain for us to discover 
some profitable investment for it. I should therefore 
adopt the public farm, as recommended in the Report, 
which would soon produce a proportion of all the 
provisions required for the young settlers, and thus 
far have in itself the means of paying them for their 
labour : but I would also find labour upon the public 
roads, leading to the settlement, and through it to 
others. 

The greatest desiderata in new settlements are 



EMIGRATION. 345 

mills and roads ; mills should be supplied by private 
enterprise, but roads come under the regulation of 
the law, hence the inability of young settlements to 
accomplish them till they rise into opulence, and the 
consequent retardation of their advance. 

The House of Assembly, in Lower Canada, has 
voted 58,000^. for internal communications, and about 
16,000/. for roads, in 1829, a great proportion of 
which is for the new settlements with scanty popula- 
tions, and lying at distances ; the opening of roads 
would therefore be a work of public utility, and stamp 
a permanent value upon every lot in the settlement. 

In suggesting the above ideas, I have endeavoured, 
as much as possible, to incorporate the leading objects 
of all the different parties who have thought seriously 
upon the subject, advancing assistance to the emi- 
grant, according to the Emigration Report, offering 
labour on a public farm, according to the Canadian 
Report, with my own addition of the labour on roads. 
I would beg, however, to be particularly understood 
that the public farm is only recommended where 
settlements are in a manner to be forced^ and that 
the land, so improved, might afterwards be resold at 
advance. 

This also appears to me the most economical mode 
of procedure ; it would not require more expenses 
than seem now almost indispensable ; the surveying 
is absolutely so ; that of agents is equally wanted to 
forward the emigrant to his destination, and place 
him upon his lot ; the extra charge would be only 



346 commissioner's report. 

that of finding provisions, which, if supplied in pay- 
ment of labour, can be more easily regulated, modified, 
or dispensed with, than a cash advance, which always 
carries with it something in the way of bounty. This 
mode would enable the agent to proportion his 
assistance to the meritorious settler, and the indolent 
would not resort to the settlement ; the price of land 
would rise with the success of the operation. Moral 
discipline and order would grow out of it spontane- 
ously, the best foundation of all institutions ; and it 
might not be too much to ascribe all future success 
to this original preparation of the soil. 

In all systems of settling new lands the strictest 
economy is to be observed, and the rule to be appUed 
is for the lands to supply their own means of im- 
provement as far as they possibly can. This may be 
accomplished in the fertile lands and moderate climate 
of the upper province ; but in Lower Canada, and 
also in New Brunswick, some assistance is absolutely 
requisite, and it is only the poorest classes who will 
lead the way into the woods. It does not appear 
necessary at present to go further into details, which, 
if wanted, may afterwards be explained. It would, 
however, be well to appoint different agents to reside 
in the country, either from provincial-born subjects 
or those who have been some years in the colony. 
If people of some capital or better education could 
be induced to embark in the undertakings, it would 
be very desirable ; nor would it be of trifling import 
if some encouragement could be extended to the 



EMIGRATION. 347 

Canadian seigneur, or some modification of the old 
French mode of settlement be adopted, not at variance 
with our laws and customs ; for it is to be observed 
by their mode of settlement that they establish a 
denser population, a people more attached to their 
soil, more exclusively so to their own habits, and 
those habits the natural supporters of the monarchical 
system ; and that it is the only part of the continent of 
North America where this is the natural tendency of 
social institutions. But when we view a country to 
be redeemed from the wilderness to a state of agricul- 
ture by the gradual advance of lot by lot, without an 
original investment of capital or improved education, 
or in fact controlling minds or superior classes to 
direct, lead, or concentrate public feeling, it is to be 
feared that such a mode of procedure would be in 
hostility to the best interests of our institutions. 

But with the Americans such a retail occupation of 
the wilderness is by no means objectionable, as it 
harmonizes with their habits of progressive advance ; 
— First, settlement of any kind attracts attention to 
the district, then speculation creeps in, and various 
interests get engaged in it ; enterprising young men 
of the professional classes soon follow ; villages grow 
up; and if anything like commercial enterprise can 
take root, the bank completes the machinery of social 
life. 

An impulse so sudden is not to be expected in the 
Provinces: the better classes who go on, mostly 
come from different parts of the mother-country, and 



*348 commissioner's report. 

Tequire some time to understand themselves. They 
take up lots for individual occupation, have no idea 
of speculating beyond their own farms, so that there 
are no means of concentrating energy for public pur- 
poses ; and the district, however numerous its inha- 
hitants, seems to be without any common principle of 
action. In the absence of such exciting causes, Go- 
vernment seems more called upon to set the machine 
in motion : but the call is still louder, from the 
number of emigrants now annually going to North 
America. In the year 1830 there can scarcely be 
less than 50,000 gone to the Provinces and the 
United States ; and from appearances at home and 
the general satisfaction of those who have departed, 
it is morally certain to be capable of great increase. 
In the two years of 1827 and 1828 about 29,000 
emigrants arrived in Canada, and scarcely any settled 
there. In 1830 about 25,000 arrived, and nearly 
10,000 are supposed to have settled. The course now 
found to be in progress is, that those who settle write 
to encourage others to come out, and frequently 
remit funds to aid them. Such has doubtless for 
many years been the practice of those settling in the 
United States ; and if the current could be turned 
into the Provinces, it would be attended with results 
of great national advantage. 

I hope to be excused for the length of this Eeport, 
and especially for dwelling upon subjects apparently 
of small importance, or upon such as Government 
may already be possessed of. 



EMIGRATION. 349 

Tlie instructions upon which I embarked upon my 
mission from the late Right Honourable Secretary 
were in a great measure verbal, who enjoined upon me 
to communicate freely and fully with the Governors 
of the different provinces, and to obtain from 
them, and all other sources, whatever information I 
could, for the use of His Majesty's Ministers, as to 
the agriculture, soil, commerce, resources and capa- 
bilities of the Provhices, especially with a view to 
their means of receiving emigrants, and the best mode 
of locating them. 

And if my attempts at the performance of this duty 
should meet the approbation of the Right Honourable 
Viscount Goderich, I shall esteem myself particularly 
fortunate, and subscribe myself with great respect, 
His Lordship's very obedient 

and very humble servant, 

John Richards, 
Commissioner. 



APPENDIX. 



APPENDIX 



PAPER A, Page 5, INTRODUCTION. 

The subject of the rendering English or Irish able- 
bodied paupers, who are useless and burdensome at 
home, useful members of the British community by co- 
lonization, has, of late years, appeared of such importance 
on all hands, that many plans have been formed for its 
promotion, and many calculations made of the probable 
expense. We give a series of these calculations, and the 
results of some experiments already made, beginning 
with the calculation of Mr. Talbot, made as far back as 
1823, adding his sentiments thereon, by which will be 
seen the improvements which have progressively been 
made even in the saving of expense, both in favour of 
the individual emigrant, and of local authorities, who may 
wish in this manner to dispose of their industrious un- 
employed poor, as an act both of philanthropy to the in- 
dividuals, and a future benefit to the mother country. 
"When the subject of colonizing families in the Canadas 
was first mooted, it was supposed full of difficulty, and 
connected with a heavy expense; and no other plan 
appearing at first feasible, but the plan of farming loca- 
tion, and preliminary support, two hundred pounds was 
talked of as the minimum at which such an object could 
be accomplished. 

* I am decidedly of opinion,' says Mr. Talbot, • that 

b 



11 APPENDIX. 

much less than two hundred pounds, given to each fa- 
mily consisting of five members, without requiring it to 
be repaid, would be fully adequate to their removal and 
settlement, and to place them in circumstances out of 
which, with frugality and industry, a decent competency 
for themselves and their posterity would in due time 
arise. If government would employ some of those 
ships which are now laid up and rotting in various parts 
of the world, or other more convenient vessels, in the 
transportation of emigrants to Upper Canada, a family 
of five persons, three of whom are supposed to be chil- 
dren, might be conveyed to the seat of government of 
Upper Canada for less than twenty pounds, including 
provisions of every description. It is equally clear that 
forty pounds would support them for one year after their 
arrival, besides procuring them the necessary imple- 
ments of husbandry, and such stock as would enable 
them to dispense with any further assistance during the 
rest of their lives. 

Admitting that Government Avould send such 
a family out in their own vessels, the wages 
of seamen, the wear and tear of the ship, 
and suitable provisions for five persons, 
might be paid for from any part of Great 
Britain or Ireland to Montreal, for . .£12 
Passage from Montreal to York, if in Go- 
vernment boats, allowing the Government 
the hire of the hands, and the price which 
the provisions might cost . . . 8 

Prom York to land set apart for their ad- 
mission, the distance not exceeding 100 
miles, conveyed by the oxen which should 
. be purchased for them . , . .10 

£21 



APPENDIX. m 

Brovght forward . . . . £21 

A yoke of oxen, sled and chain, if the latter 

be purchased in England . . . . 13 

Two cows 6 

Two axes, two hoes, irons for plough, and 

nine harrow teeth 2 

Some indispensable articles of household fur- 
niture, such as pots, kettle, &c. . . 2 
Building a common log-house, such as set- 
tlers of the lower class generally build . 7 10 
Provisions * for twelve months, — say twelve 
barrels of flour, at two dollars and a half 
per barrel, and one barrel of pork, at eight 
dollars per barrel . . . . 8 110 

£60 1 



*This sum appears to me to be fully sufficient to do all 
that is really necessary to be done for settlers of this 
class ; and if it be possible to lend such persons two 
hundred pounds for ten years, it is certainly possible to 
give them sixty pounds without requiring it to be repaid; 
for, if two hundred pounds were put out to interest, 
instead of being lent to the settlers, that sum would, in 
less than ten years, produce considerably more than the 
amount proposed to be gratuitously given. How different 
•would the feelings of persons in this situation be, from 
those of persons subject to have their minds continually 
haunted with the dread of an enormous debt, which they 
would be utterly unable to discharge V— Talbot's Five 
Years" Residence, vol. ii. p. 203. 
With a view, however, to the providing for poor emi- 

* On these provisions, and the milk of their cows, settlers 
of this class will subsist much more comfortably than they 
did before they came to the country. 

62 



rV APPENDIX. 

grants, by sending them to the Canadas, there are two 
modes of their settlement there. The first is, by merely 
assisting them to cross the ocean, and perhaps to get to 
the upper province, and then leaving them to seek for 
employment as servants, and to work their own way as 
labourers for others, at least in the first instance. By 
this mode their passage money to the field of employ- 
ment is all that is required, and is easily calculated. 
Mr. A. C. Buchanan, in the sketch of a plan laid before 
the Committee of the House of Commons, when sitting 
on the subject of Emigration (vide Third Report, Mi^ 
nutes of Evidence, p. 437), calculates that, conducting 
emigration upon an extensive scale, families, after a 
pound has been advanced by their friends to carry them 
to their interior settlement, may be sent to Canada by 
a scale of cost such as the following: — Adults, for Al. ; 
persons under fourteen years of age, 3/. 105. ; children 
under ten years, 21. 105.; under six, 1/. 10*. 

By a second calculation {vide Minutes of Evidence, 
p. 455) for the freight of a family, consisting of a man, 
wife, and three children, requiring five tons register of 
ship's burden, including expense of water, fuel, &c. 
61. 105. Provisions for fifty days for such a family, if 
Irish or Scotch, he calculates at the rate of 13§g?. per 
day, is only 2/. 165. 3d; but, if English, he allows \^d. 
per day, or 3d. per day more — namely, .£389 
Add passage money as above . . 6 10 



Will estimate the family to be carried out for £9 18 9 
or averaging 1/. 185. 6c?. a head, young and old. 

When sixty-five able-bodied labouring men emigrated 
from Corsley, in Wiltshire, in 1830 (see Paper D in 
this Appendix), their expenses of voyage and outfit, in- 
cluding 205. or 305. given them upon landing, to find 
their ..way farther up into the country, where work is 



APPENDIX. Vr 

plentiful, amounted, says Mr. Poulett Scrope, * on aa 
average, to about 6/. a head.' — Vide Mr. P. Scrope' s Ex- 
tracts, Introd., p. 10. 

The next mode is that spoken of by Mr. Talbot, and 
is the one on which Government bestowed so much 
attention in 1827 — namely, not only carrying the emi- 
grant to Canada, but supporting him there in the shape 
of a regular farming colonist, until the land he may 
have cleared makes a return for his labour, with a view- 
to the ultimate repayment of the sum advanced. This 
was the mode upon which the great colonizing experi- 
ments of 1823 and 1825, under Mr. Peter Robinson, were 
conducted, in which families were transported, located, 
and supported for fifteen months on their settlement, at 
an average expense of about 22/. Is. dd. per head. It 
appears, by the Third Report of the Emigration Com- 
mittee, that for the emigrants sent out at these periods 
the estimated expense applying to a family, consisting of 
a married couple and three children, was calculated at 
]00/., to cover their location, and enable the family to 
support itself, and at the end of seven years to be in pos- 
session of a surplus income of 15/. per annum. 

But it was given in evidence by Mr. Robinson, who 
had conducted these early experiments, that 60/. would 
fully cover this expense ; and thence the Committee 
justly founded an argument, a fortiori, for the success 
of the emigrant, and for its own confidence in his being 
able ultimately to repay the sura advanced for so re- 
moving him from pauperism and misery, and making 
him a comfortable proprietor in a British colony. Con- 
sidering the particulars of this last estimate, received and 
approved of by the Committee, as furnishing information 
useful to the colonizer at his own expense, we give it 
from the Third Report, p. 23. 



VI APPENDIX. 

Average Estimate of the Expense of settling"a Family, 
consisting of one Man, one Woman, and three Chil- 
dren, in the British North American Provinces, dis- 
tinguishing the various items of Expenditure. 

Expenses of conve37ance from the port of 

disembarkation to place of location . £lO 

Provisions, viz, — rations for fifteen months 
for one man, one woman, and three chil- 
dren, at one pound of flour, and one pound 
of pork for each adult, and half that quan- 
tity for each child, making three and a 
half rations per diem ; pork being at 41. per 



barrel, and flour at 1/. 5s. 


per 


bar 


rel . 


40 


6 10 


Freight of provisions to place of settlement 


1 


10 10 


House for each family. 












IMPLEMENTS, ETC 












Four blankets . 


£0 


14 









One kettle .... 





5 


10 






One frying-pan 





1 


3 






Three hoes .... 





4 


6 






One spade 





2 


9 






One wedge 





1 


4 






One auger 





2 


2 






One pick-axe 





2 









Two axes 


1 












Proportion of grindstones, 












whip-saw and cross-cut 












saw .... 





14 









Freight and charges on ditto. 












15 per cent. 





10 


2 






Sterling 


3 


18 


equal to 


' 








currency 


4 


6 8 



£56 4 4 



APPENDIX. VU 

Brought forward , . . . , £56 4 4 

Cow 4 10 

Medicines and medical attendance . .10 

Seed corn I*. 6t/. 

Potatoes, five bushels at 2^. 6c?. 12*. %d. 



' 14 

Proportion of the expense of building for the 

depot ........ 1 

Ditto for clerks, issuers, and surveyors, to 

show the lots 15 



£60 sterling is equal to currency £66 13 4 

But Mr. A. C. Buchanan, calculating afterwards that 
6/. would be suJQScient for transporting each family, when 
the emigration was on an extended scale, to the place of 
its location ; and seeing that a cow could, in the first 
instance, be dispensed with, as well as that some of the 
articles of diet could be economised, gave in two suc- 
cessive estimates, the first of which amounted only to 
48Z. \Qs. {see Appendix to the Third Report, p. 553), 
and by the latter he undertook to settle the family for 
40/. We give the last laid before the Committee, ver- 
batim. 

• A third Estimate for Locating a Family in the Colonies 
of North America — a Pauper Emigrant from Ire- 
land ; each family to consist of man, wife, and three 
children — say three and a half full rations per day, 
for 450 days. 

Four pounds of flour, India meaJ, and oatmeal, with d. 
potatoes in lieu occasionally] . . . . Gj 

One-eighth pound of molasses or maple sugar, \d, 
one pound of pork, 4 0? 5 

Two herrings or other fish . . . , , 2 

is 13^ 



Vlll APPENDIX. 






Say 13H per day for 450 days, is . £25 
One pair of blankets ... 


6 
6 





Two hoes, 2*. lOd. ; two axes, 16*. 


18 


10 


One auger and one iron wedge . . 
Proportion of grindstone ... 
Medical attendance .... 


3 
5 

10 







Seed grain and potatoes ... 1 

Log-house 2 

Transport to location ... 6 

A young pig 

Proportion expense of building store- 
house, clerks, &c. &c. . . .2 




10 



6 







6 




Incidents 


14 


5 


£40 









* In the foregoing estimate I presume that the emi- 
grant provides himself with a spade, a kettle, and at 
least one pair of blankets — in fact, he will have to pro- 
vide himself with necessaries of this sort for the voyage 
out. 

* I maintain, taking in the average of New Brunswick, 
Lower Canada, &c., that 6/. is fully adequate to cover 
any expense of transport to location, unless you select 
situations of the most difficult access and distance ; an4 
with previous arrangements, and ample time given for 
contracts, I have not the shadow of doubt but provisions 
may be furnished at prices stated, taking present price 
as a data ; and I presume the emigrant will feel himself 
more at home with his herring and potatoe, oatmeal, &c, 
and a little bit of pork, than if altogether fed on salt pork 
and flour, the latter of which the Irish peasantry are 
totally ignorant of using with management. 

* No cow is introduced, as I have before stated, as it 
is considered, for the first twelve months, the emigrant 
will not possess means of feeding one ; and if he is in- 



APPENDIX. IX 

dustrious, he will easily earn by his labour the price of a 
young two year old heifer in calf, as soon as he can 
obtain fodder for her keeping. 

(Signed) A. C. Buchanan.' 
Minutes of Evidence ^ Third Report, p. 463. 

We cannot but think the above estimate very import- 
ant, as affording valuable information to local authorities, 
as applying to poor Irish families ; and the remarks an- 
nexed to it, as tending to correct a material error usual to 
educated men, in their arrangements for the support of 
the poor, as well as affording a stimulus to the industry 
of the emigrant himself by the mode proposed. These 
rations, as allowed by Mr. Buchanan, are a most liberal 
support compared with the starvation to which the Irish 
peasant is frequently subject; and there is an illustrative 
fact on record, as applying to modes of feeding certain 
classes, which is both curious and applicable. It is men- 
tioned by Col. Stewart, in his sketches of the Highland 
regiments, that when first put under the usual English 
rations of beef and bread, after being brought fresh from 
the hills, many of the men took sick, and the skin of most 
broke out into boils and blotches from the unusual rich- 
ness of their food. 



PAPER B, Page 6, INTRODUCTION. 

* If thousands and tens of thousands of our unfortunate 
countrymen,' says Mr. Talbot, speaking, with much 
warm -hearted feeling, on this subject, — 

" Whom fortune dooms to scythes and spades, 
And all such hard, laborious trades," 

* whose seemingly-inalienable inheritance is poverty, and 
whose every nerve is continually on the stretch to pro- 
mote the comfort and independence of others, could only 



APPENDIX, 



find their way to this inviting province, how differently 
would they feel themselves circumstanced, in the course 
of a few years ! In their native country, they are com- 
pelled to labour almost unceasingly for masters, whose 
principal source of wealth is in the toil of the poor and 
degraded peasant ; and, no matter how frugal and in- 
dustrious he may be, he can never indulge the solitary 
hope of essentially improving his condition. A scanty 
subsistence, perpetual toil, and never-ceasing care, are 
the rewards, and the only rewards, of their most inde- 
fatigable exertions. No cheering idea of one day sur- 
mounting their difficulties ever darts a transient ray of 
pleasure into their care-worn hearts. No exhilarating 
presentiment of future independence ever visits them, to 
dispel the gloom of despair from their benighted minds, 
or to lighten the burden of sorrow from their unaspiring 
souls. Born without a worldly inheritance, they live 
without a worldly hope, and die without a worldly conso* 
lation. How different would be their lot, if once safely 
landed on the western shores of the Atlantic ! Here 
after labouring a short time for others, they would be 
enabled to labour for themselves ; by which they might 
not only procure a comfortable livelihood, but also an 
absolute and permanent independency for themselves 
and their famihes, however numerous. The question is, 
— " How are such persons to find their way across the 
ocean ?" For my part, I am not able to say. It is 
well known that men of this description seldom realize a 
sum of money sufficient to equip them for a voyage 
across the channel ; and yet we find many persons of 
this class in Canada, and in almost every part of Ame- 
rica.' — Five Years' Residence in the Canadas, by E. A, 
Talbot, Esq., vol. ii. p. 191. 

* It is not, however, my intention,' he adds, in another 
place, * to encourage any man to emigrate, whose cir- 



APPENDIX. XI 

cumstances allow him to continue in his native country. 
Nor is it my object to dissuade the unfortunate from an 
undertaking, which must eventually be attended with 
great benefits both to him and to his posterity. I wish 
to state facts, and allow others to reason on them. Were 
I a poor Irish peasant, compelled to toil year after year, 
without a hope of bettering my circumstances, I would 
endeavour to find my way to this country, if such an 
object could be achieved by any human exertions. Nay, 
if I could not otherwise obtain money sufficient to defray 
my expenses, I would attire myself in the habit of a 
common beggar, and for seven years, if necessary, would 
contentedly solicit alms, in order thereby to amass the 
necessary sum to effect my object. Were I even in a 
situation similar to that of many of your depressed 
'' middle-men," the parent of a large family, and the pos- 
sessor of but a small pittance for their support ; unable, 
from the remembrance of better days, " to dig," to "beg 
ashamed," I would, for the sake of ray family, but not 
for my own, remove at once to the western world, where, 
by industry, my children might attain that independence 
which they could never attain in their native country.* 
—Ibid. ip. 221. 

PAPER C, Page 17, INTRODUCTION. 

An Account of the First Settlement of the Town- 
ship of Hull, on the Ottawa River, Lower Canada, 
by P. Wright, Esq. Delivered to the Committee of 
the House of Assembly, appointed to take into consi- 
deration that part of his Excellency the Governor-in- 
Chiefs Speech, of the 16th December, 1820, relative 
to the Settlement of Crown Lands in Lower Canada. 

My parents were of the county of Kent, England, and 
were brought up to the farming and grazing business. 



XU APPENDIX. 

They emigrated to the province of Massachusetts, in 
New England, where I was born, in the year 1760 ; and 
there I lived until I was thirty-six years of age, in the 
occupation of farming and grazing. 

In 1796, I came to Montreal, in Canada, to explore 
the country, being determined to change my residence 
into Canada, having a large family to provide for. After 
spending some time in exploring the country, I returned 
to Woburn, the place of my birth, and in 1797 I came 
again to Canada, and visited Quebec ; I then viewed the 
country on both sides of the St. Lawrence, the whole of 
the distance from Quebec, until I arrived at the Ottawa, 
or Grand River, in the township of Hull, taking some 
time to explore and examine the country, but more par- 
ticularly the parts bordering on both sides of the Ottawa. 
I also particularly examined the said river, as respects 
navigating it, with the advantages and disadvantages 
attending a new settlement in that country. After spend- 
ing some time in the above pursuit, I returned home to 
Woburn, 

In the year 1798, 1 came again to obtain farther infor- 
mation, as regards the local situation of the lands on 
the Ottawa, or Grand River ; which having done, I re- 
turned to Massachusetts, with a determination to com- 
mence a settlement on its fertile banks. I endeavoured 
to hire some axemen, but could not succeed, in conse- 
quence of the great distance, having to go eighty miles 
beyond any settlements, as was the situation of the 
country bordering on the Ottawa at that time. 

This part of the country has immense resources in 
fine timber, not only merchantable, but for making ashes, 
sufficient to furnish great supplies for any foreign mar- 
ket, even to load a thousand vessels. This part of the 
country was unknown or unthought of to the inhabitants 
of Montreal, except the North-West Company, whose 



APPENDIX. Xm 

interest it appeared to be to keep the said country in 
the then uninhabited state, and consequently not feeling 
a desire to recommend a settlement in this part of 
Canada. However, not wishing to 2;ive up my intentions 
of establishing a settlement, I hired two respectable men 
in Massachusetts, for the purpose of going with me to 
the Ottawa, and after having viewed the country we 
returned home, and they made a report to the public 
nearly as follows : — 

That they had ascended the Ottawa, or Grand River, 
one-hundred and twenty miles from Montreal ; the first 
forty-five miles they found some settlers, who appeared 
rather inactive, as far as related to their farms, but 
little done, to what, apparently, might be done, to- 
wards making themselves independent farmers. We, 
however, ascended the Ottawa, up the rapids, sixteen 
miles farther, to the head of the Long Sault, continuing 
our course sixty-four miles farther up the river, from 
the head of the Long Sault, to Hull ; the river 
is remarkably smooth, and the water still, and suffi- 
ciently deep to float a sloop-of-war; at the last men- 
tioned place we proposed to explore the township back 
of the river ; accordingly we spent twenty days, say 
from the 1st to the 20th October, 1799. I should 
think that we climbed to the top of one hundred or 
more trees to view the situation of the country, which 
we accomplished in the following manner ; we cut smaller 
trees in such a manner as to fall slanting, and to lodge 
in the branches of those large ones, which we ascended, 
until we arrived at the top. By this means we were 
enabled to view the country, and also the timber, and by 
the timber we were enabled to judge of the nature of the 
soil, which we found to answer our expectations ; and 
after having examined well the local situation of the 
township of Hull, we descended the river, and arrived. 



XIV APPENDIX. 

after much fatigue, at Montreal, where we gave a general 
description of our discoveries, and returned home to 
Massachusetts, where, after a report was made public 
about the situation of this part of the country, I was 
enabled to obtain and hire as many men as I wanted to 
commence a new settlement. 

I immediately hired about twenty-five men, and brought 
them, with my m.ill irons, axes, scythes, hoes, and all 
other kinds of tools I thought most useful and necessary, 
including fourteen horses and eight oxen, seven sleighs 
and five families, together with a number of barrels of 
clear pork, destitute of bone, of my own raising, all of 
which left Woburn on the 2nd of February, 1800, and 
arrived in Montreal on the 10th. After a short stay in 
Montreal, we proceeded on our route for the township of 
Hull, making generally amongst the old settlements 
about fifteen miles per day, for the first three days, 
owing to our horses and oxen travelling abreast, and 
our sleighs being wider than what is usual in this coun- 
try ; under these difficulties we travelled the three first 
days, stopping with the habitants those three nights, 
until we got to the foot of the Long Sault, which* was 
the end of any travelled road in that direction in Lower 
Canada. Being eighty miles from our destination, and 
no road, we found that it was impossible to proceed, in 
consequence of the depth of snow, and were therefore 
obliged to make a stand, and set one part of our men to 
alter our teams so as to go singly, and the other part of 
the men to proceed forward to cut the road. After mak- 
ing the necessary preparations, we proceeded on to the 
head of the Long Sault, observing, before night came on, 
to fix upon some spot near water to encamp for the 
night, particularly observing that there were no dry trees 
to fall upon us or our cattle, and if there was, to cut 
them down. Then we cleared away the snow, and cut 



APPENDIX. XV 

down trees for fire for the whole night, the women and 
children sleeping in covered sleighs, and the men with 
blankets round the fire, and the cattle made fast to the 
standing trees. In this situation about thirty of us spent 
the night ; and I must say that I never saw men more 
cheerful and happy in my life than they seemed to be,— 
having no landlord to call upon us for our expenses, nor 
to complain of our extravagance, nor no dirty floors to 
sleep upon, but the sweet ground which belonged to our 
ancient Sovereign, — observing to take our refreshment 
and prepare sufficient for the day, so as to lose no time on 
our journey when daylight appeared, always observing 
to keep our axemen forward cutting the road, and our 
foraging team next the axemen, and the families in the 
rear, and in this way we proceeded on for three or four 
days, observing to look out for a good place for our 
camp, until we arrived at the head of the Long Sault* 
Prom that place we travelled the whole of the distance 
upon the ice until we came to the intended spot, which is 
about sixty-five miles. My guide that I had taken up 
with me the fall before, was quite unacquainted with the 
ice, and likewise the whole of our party, as not one of us 
had ever travelled up this ice before, — our three former 
journies had been by water. We travelled up the ice 
very slow, as we were very much intimidated for fear of 
losing any of our cattle, keeping our axemen forward 
trying every rod of ice, the ice being covered with snow 
about one foot thick, so that it was impossible to know 
whether the ice was good without sounding it with the 
axe. 

I cannot pass over this account without giving the 
particulars of a savage, so called, from whom I received 
the greatest humanity it is possible to express. On our 
journey up the river on the first day, we met a savage 
and his wife drawing a child upon a little bark sleigh ; 



XVI APPENDIX. 

they looked at us in astonishment, at seeing our habit, 
manner, and custom, and more especially at our cattle, — 
they viewed us as if we had come from some distant part, 
or from the clouds, — they were so astonished walking 
round our teams, as we were then halted, and trying to 
make discourse with us concerning the ice, but not a 
word could we understand from him. We observed him 
point to the wood as if giving directions to his squaw to 
go into the woods and make herself comfortable; she 
immediately left him and went off into the woods, and he 
immediately went to the head of our company without 
the promise of fee or reward, with his small axe, trying 
the ice at every step he went, as if he had been the pro- 
per guide or owner of the property. We passed on until 
we found night coming on, and the banks of the river 
being so high, say about twenty feet, and that it was im- 
possible to ascend them with our sleighs, we then left 
our sleighs upon the ice, and ascended the banks of the 
river, cleared away the snow% cut down large trees as 
usual to make a fire, carefully observing that no stooping 
or dead trees could fall upon us. After cooking our 
supper and getting our regular refreshments, we then 
brought up our bedding and spread round the fire, and 
made ourselves as comfortable as possible, having nothing 
over us but large trees and the canopy of the heavens. 
Before daylight in the morning, we cooked our breakfast 
and provisions for the day, and, as soon as daylight ap- 
peared, we were ready to proceed on our march. I must 
observe that our Indian behaved with uncommon civility 
during the night, taking his regular refreshments with 
us, and proceeded to the head of the company, as he had 
done the preceding day, with uncommon agility. 

All being under way as soon as daylight appeared, we 
proceeded on this day as usual, without meeting with any 
accident. When night was approaching, we did the 



APPENDIX. XVM 

same as the night before, and hkewise began our march 
early in the morning in much the same way, our Indian 
taking the lead as before. Owing to the deepness of the 
snow, it took us about six days in passing up this river, 
about sixty-four miles, and we arrived safe at the town- 
ship of Hull. After some little trouble in cutting the 
brush and banks, we ascended the height, which is about 
twenty feet from the water. Our savage, after he had 
seen us safe up the bank, and spent the night with us, 
gave us to understand that he must return back to his 
squaw and child, and after receiving some presents for 
his great services, he took his departure for his squaw, 
having to go at least sixty miles when he left us. Our 
men thanked him in the best manner they could make 
him understand, and three times huzzaed him, and 
he left us in great spirits, being well pleased. We 
arrived at this place on the 7th of March, and imme- 
diately, with the assistance of all hands, we felled the 
first tree, for every person that was able to use the axe 
endeavoured and assisted in cutting: after having so 
done, we commenced cutting down and clearing a spot 
for the erection of a house, and we continued cutting, and 
clearing, and erecting other buildings for the accommo- 
dation of the families and men. And as we commenced 
cutting and clearing, the chiefs of two tribes of Indians 
that live at the Lake of the Two Mountains, came to us, 
and viewed all our tools and materials with astonish- 
ment, and would often whoop and laugh, as they were 
quite unacquainted with tools, or things of that nature. 
They also viewed with astonishment the manner in 
which we harnessed our horses, and oxen, &c., all being 
harnessed in pairs. They seemed to view all our things, 
cattle, &c., with great pleasure : some of them fetched 
their children to see the oxen and horses, they having 
never seen a tame animal before, being brought up near 

c 



XVlll APPENDIX. 

the great lakes upon the westward ; they would also ask 
the liberty of using one or two of our axes, to see how 
they could cut down a tree with them, as their axes are 
very small, weighing only half a pound, our axes weigh- 
ing from four to five pounds. When they had cut down 
a tree, they would jump, whoop, and huzza, being quite 
pleased with having cut down a tree so quick. They 
received a glass of rum each, and returned to their sugar- 
making in the greatest harmony. They continued very 
friendly to pass backward and forward for about ten 
days, often receiving small presents, for which they made 
me returns in sugar, venison, &c. Their chiefs assem- 
bled together, and procured an English interpreter of the 
name of George Brown, formerly a clerk in the Indian 
trade, who also had an Indian wife and family, and spoke 
both languages. They requested him to demand of me 
by what authority I was cutting down their wood, and 
taking possession of their land. To which I answered 
— by virtue of authority received at Quebec from their 
Great Father who lived on the other side of the water, 
and Sir John Johnson, who I knew was agent in the 
Indian department, for through him they received their 
yearly dues from Government. 

They could hardly suppose their Great Father, or other 
persons at Quebec, would allow me to cut down their 
timber, and clear their land, and destroy their sugaries 
and hunting ground without consulting them, as they 
had been in the peaceable and quiet possession of these 
lands for generations past. I must consider that these 
falls and rivers were convenient for them to carry on 
their business, and that their families wanted support as 
well as mine. 

I told them that I had got regular documents from 
their Great Father, which I had received at Quebec, and 
also orders from Sir John Johnson so to do j and I had 



APPENDIX. XBC 

t)een to my country, being five hundred miles distant 
and brought all these men and materials to carry the 
business into effect, and the documents I was ready to 
produce when regularly called for ; and I had further to 
state to them, from the mouth of Sir John Johnson, 
that if they injured me, or any of my property, to go and 
make complaint to him, and I should have remunera- 
tion out of their yearly dues. 

They believed that if I had stayed at home it would 
have been to their interest, as they had great dependence 
upon that situation, it being the chief hunting-ground, 
sugaries, and fisheries, &c., which was the chief support 
of their families, and they were afraid of further difficul- 
ties that would arise between us, such as taking their 
beaver, destroying their deer, breaking up their sugaries, 
and causing a deal of trouble ; that I must know that 
clearing off the forest was driving back their game, 
which would totally dislodge them of their former ex- 
pectations. 

I told them that they must be sensible that the tools 
and materials which I had brought were not for hunting 
or fishing, but for the clearing of land, and I should 
endeavour to protect their beavers and fishing-ground, 
but as to the sugaries, them I must make use of, as the 
land was already given me. I would observe further to 
them, that this establishment would be a great conveni- 
ence to them, and was intended so by their Great Father, 
to have a settlement and mills in order to supply them 
with all their provisions instead of going to Montreal, 
tvhich they knew was a dangerous and difficult passage. 
They answered, we know the passage is very difficult, 
and are surprised how you found the way here with 
all these men, baggage, and cattle. The white people 
always tell us fair stories to drive us back ; you tell us 
that you come here for farming, and that you will protect 

c2 



^X APPENDIX. 

our beaver hunts, fisheries, &c. ; but we know that you 
have got guns, powder, and shot — what are you going to 
do with them ? We observed that all our farmers where 
"we come from keep guns, powder, and shot to protect 
our farms, such as killing hawks when they come upon 
our poultry, the squirrels that eat our grain in the fields, 
bears when they kill our hogs and calves, and wolves 
when they kill our sheep. 

They then said, that is all very good, if used for that 
purpose ; but if you do as other white people have done, 
you will make use of the guns for killing our beaver, 
deer, otter, musk-rats, and bears; we are afraid you 
will not be contented upon your own lands, but will go 
out at a distance to our ponds and take our beaver, and 
then, for retaliation, if we should come and take your 
sheep and cattle, that will bring on difiiculties and dis- 
putes, and that will not answer. You say that our Great 
Father is making this settlement for our good, but we 
are afraid it will be to our disadvantage, instead of doing 
us good. I told them I had received strict directions to 
use them well, and I intended so to do ; and if they 
would go to their sugaries, and collect all their materials 
that they wished to part with, as they had finished 
making sugar, that I would pay cash for. them at a fair 
price. 

They agreed that this was very fair, and accordingly it 
was done, and the amount was paid, which was under 
five pounds ; and they assured me, that as I appeared to 
be very honest and fair with them, they would always be 
so with me, and that they had one more offer to make 
me,— that if I would give them thirty dollars they would 
give up their claim to the lands. I told them that I had 
offered to show them all my titles from their Great 
Father, and would wish to have them produce their titles, 
as that was the way we white people made our arrange- 



APPENDIX. XH 

ments respecting lands, and I could not give them any 
money on account of the land business until they 
produced me papers that they had a right to them. 
They observed to me that they did not make the ar- 
rangement themselves with the Great Father, but it 
was made by their ancestors prior to their doing busi- 
ness, and they had no papers to show at this time, 
but that they always supposed that they had an un- 
doubted right to the lands from what their fathers had 
told them, together with the islands in the river; as 
they had in Montreal given leases of some of those 
islands before Peter Lukin, notary public, particularly 
an island called Studdier's Island, in the rapids of the 
Long Sault, about seventy miles below, and that they were 
willing that we should make further inquiry respecting 
the same. I said that, according to the information I 
had collected from their Father at Quebec, they had no 
positive right to any lands, nor could they hold any title 
in their own capacity, and if they had leased any lands,, 
they had done wrong, for they knew that they received 
annual presents from the Government, which were on 
account of their relinquishing all claims to the lands. 
They observed, that if that was the case it was hard on 
them, as their annual presents were but trifling, and that 
they would revert to their superiors, to decide that I 
should go to Montreal to Sir John Johnson, Mr. Lee, 
the Commissary of the Indian department, and to Mr- 
Lukin ; I agreed to go the next moon, and their answer 
was to be decisive. I accordingly went the next moon, 
and Sir John Johnson told me, the Indians had no right 
to the lands, for they had their presents in lieu of land, 
and that they could not hinder me from the lawful pos- 
session of it ; 1 also went to Mr. Lee, and he told me 
the same. I then went to Mr. Lukin, and asked him if 
he had ever made out the said lease to Mr. Studders, and 



XXU APPENDIX. 

he told me he had done so. I asked him if he supposed 
he had any right or authority so to do ; he observed, 
that that was more than he could answer, — he made it 
his rule, as a notary public, when two persons came to 
him, and asked him to do a piece of writing between 
them, that he did it according to their directions, and it 
was their business to understand the propriety or impro- 
priety of the same. I then returned home to Hull, and 
made my report, in the following manner, to the Indians: 
— That Sir John Johnson, Mr. Lee, and Mr. Lukin, had 
observed to me, that they had no right to the lands, as 
they received presents as a compensation ; and requested 
me to observe to them, that their Great Father expected 
them to treat me as the owner of the soil, and not injure 
any of my property in any way or manner, and to treat 
me as their brother, and for me to use them in as 
friendly a manner as circumstances would allow, and to 
tell them that they must not lease any lands or islands ; 
if they did, it would have a tendency to destroy their 
yearly presents. They answered, that they had never 
understood it in that nature, but they did not know that 
they had any reason to dispute the report made by me, 
although it appeared hard to them, and they found that 
they had not the advantages they thought they had be- 
fore, and, for the future, I should always find them 
friendly. They then agreed that I should be a brother 
chief, and if any difl5culties occurred, it should be settled 
by mutual agreement amongst the chiefs. Then they 
proceeded to crown me in their usual manner, as a 
brother chief; then we dined together, and kissed each 
other's cheeks, and a number of other ceremonies passed, 
too numerous to mention, — such as burying the hatchet, 
and a number of other usual Indian formalities. Since 
which, we have often assembled together in the greatest 
harmony in both villages, upon various occasions, all of 



APPENDIX. XXIU 

which has been with the greatest friendship and good 
understanding, "without having to revert to one question 
for the law to decide. I must acknowledge, that I never 
was acquainted with any people that more strictly re- 
garded justice and equity, than those people have for 
these twenty years past. 

After having arranged with the Indians, we con- 
tinued cutting down and clearing a spot for the erection 
of a house, and we continued cutting and clearing, and 
erecting other buildings, for the accommodation of the 
families and men. 

As I had laid in a good stock of hay and grain, which 
I gave freely unto my cattle, I was surprised to find that 
they took to the woods, living upon browse, such as the 
buds of fallen timber, and the joint rush that stood 
through the snow, which was about seven inches deep. 
In this way, the horses and oxen finished out the spring, 
and I never saw working cattle in so good condition in 
the month of June as they were, being in full flesh and 
good spirits. Our grain was used by the men, thereby 
making to me an additional saving in provisions. 

I was also much surprised to find the snow disappear- 
ing so very soon by thawing underneath, and, on exami- 
nation, I found no frost in the ground ; being quite the 
reverse of Massachusetts, where there is from three to 
four feet frost in the ground in the spring, which prevents 
vegetation from coming forward so soon as if it were 
otherwise. The spring opened much earlier than I ever 
knew it in Massachusetts, which gave us all great encou- 
ragement, all the men being much pleased with the 
country in finding vegetation come forward so much 
easier than they were accustomed to see it : which gives 
life to the farmer, and is the support of agriculture. 

We continued cutting down during the whole of 
March, April, and ]\Iay, building, and putting in our 



XXIV APPENDIX. 

vegetables and garden- stuffs, &c., and continued to do 
so, until we began to burn our fallows (which is the tim- 
ber felled in rows) for winter wheat, which ought to be 
put into the ground in the month of August, to expect a 
good crop. Our provisions now began to run short, and 
we were obliged to go to Montreal, a distance of 120 
miles, to obtain means of subsistence until our crops 
could be harvested. This circumstance retarded, in some 
measure, the advancement of the settlement. Our only 
communication was by water, and the navigation of the 
river, particularly the Long Saulf, was entirely unknown 
to our men, and those who understood the manner of 
going up and down the river, could not be hired short of 
three dollars per day. The swiftness of the water, and 
crooked channel, being interrupted with large rocks and 
reefs of stone projecting into the river and the waters, 
rising and falling about fourteen feet on those rapids, 
owing to the north waters or spring freshets, being com- 
pelled to pass as near the shore as possible, to have the 
benefit of tow ropes, renders the navigation very difficult. 

The year 1800 was spent in clearing land, building, 
and raising vegetables and roots. Among the latter 
was about 1000 bushels of potatoes, which I put into 
the ground (to keep them through the winter) so deep 
that I lost the whole of them by the rot, occasioned by 
the heat of the ground. We prepared some land for the 
fall wheat, and sowed about seventy bushels upon seventy 
statute acres, and prepared about thirty acres for spring 
wheat and peas : also a great deal of time spent in going 
to Montreal for provisions. Seeing my people were 
going on well, and comfortable as to provisions, houses, 
&c., I gave directions how to proceed until my return. 

1801. — I returned back to Woburn in Massachusetts 
&nd at the same time carried my men home, according 
to our agreement, and ^ paid them off'; but the greater 



APPENDIX. XXV 

part of them came back again the same winter, and by 
an agreement took lands, — they finding the lands much 
better in the township of Hull, than in the state of Mas- 
sachusetts. This spring finished our spring wheat: 
sowing in the month of March about thirty acres, I had, 
the second year of my clearing, 100 acres of the best 
wheat I ever saw. I immediately built a large barn, 
thirty- six by seventy-five, and eighteen feet posts, and 
this barn was not large enough to hold the whole of ray 
wheat by seven stacks : I should suppose there were 
3000 bushels at least. I measured one acre, and then 
threshed it out upon the spot ; there were forty bushels 
upon that acre. I also surveyed the township of Hull 
this year, commencing upon the 2nd day of July, with 
ten men, and continued until the 9th day of October, 
and placed 377 square posts, being a township of 82,429 
acres ; it being a bad township to survey, owing to the 
Gatineau river running at an angular direction through 
the whole township, and not fordable at any place that 
we knew of for the space of fifty miles up. This survey, 
I should suppose, cost me about 900/. 

In the autumn I secured all my crops. The crops ex- 
ceeded every person's expectations that was with me, or 
anything that we had ever seen or known in the latitude 
of 42 degrees, and all without the help of manure ; 
which was the more surprising to those who had been 
accustomed to go to Boston and obtain it at the price of 
three dollars per load. After closing our fall work, I 
then issued a notification, that any person who under- 
stood farming, and wished to obtain lands, might be sup- 
plied on application to me, on the most advantageous 
terms ; and I would lend them a certain quantity of 
wheat, and other seed, until they could raise a sufficient , 
quantity upon their own farms to repay me. Then the 
settlement commenced by several persons in that part of 



XXVI APPENDIX. 

the township which I was entitled to : and 1 commenced 
building mills, there being no mills nearer than eighty 
miles of the township. Before I built my mills, it cost 
me twice as much to get my grain ground as it did to 
raise it. I then built a saw-mill, which cost me 800^., 
and about 500Z. in other buildings. I also cleared about 
100 acres of land this year, and laid down in grass about 
the same quantity. I also received a quantity of hemp- 
seed from Commissary J. W. Clarke : I sowed it, and it 
did exceedingly well. I then sent a bundle and gave it 
to the Hemp Committee, and it was deposited in the 
Committee Room ; it measured fourteen feet long, and 
very fine. I raised that year eleven parts out of thirteen 
that was raised in the whole province of Lower Canada ; 
and according to a certificate that I received from the 
Hemp Committee of Montreal, and another from the 
Commander-in-Chief, I sent two samples of seed with two 
bundles of the hemp, and the certificate, to the Society 
of Arts, and received in return a silver medal. This is 
a fine country for the growth of hemp ; but the reason I 
did not continue to grow it upon a large scale, was the 
expense of preparing it for market. My hemp-peelers 
charged me one dollar per day, or one bushel of wheat, 
labourers being very scarce in the township of Hull. I 
sowed nearly 100 bushels of hemp-seed, which I sold in 
Montreal, at a fair price. I was obliged to send the 
hemp to Halifax, to find a sale for it. I still continue 
to grow small quantities for my own use. I also built a 
hemp-mill, which cost me 300^., which mill was by acci- 
dent burnt, with two other mills. I lost by this accident 
about \000l. 

1803. — 1 extended my improvements in clearing of 
lands to about 380 acres, generally sowing down grass 
on the land that had borne two crops of corn, in order 
to obtain a quantity of good timothy and clover hay, for 



APPENDIX. XXVii 

wintering my cattle : this is one of the first points in 
grazing farms. I am much surprised the inhabitants do 
not sow more grass seed; it must be a great disadvan- 
tage to them in summering their cattle. If they were to 
clear some new lands, — high swells of land, — and sow it 
with grass-seed, there the grass is sweet, and the cattle 
would go into their barns fat, and would not take half 
the quantity of fodder to winter them, as they do by the 
mode they now follow. 

1804. — This year I commenced building a blacksmith's 
shop, which is large enough for four workmen to work 
in (it contains four pairs of bellows, which are worked by 
water, also four forges) ; likewise a shoemaker's shop, 
and a tailor's shop ; with a large bakehouse : all those 
establishments give employment to a great number of 
workmen. Before I estabhshed these different branches, 
I was obliged to go to Montreal for every little article in 
iron work, or other things which I stood in need of. 
Until I commenced these different branches in the town- 
ship of Hull, the number of men under my employ was 
about seventy-five : those w^ere employed in different 
mechanical businesses, trades, and agriculture. And I 
also commenced a tannery for tanning of leather upon a 
large scale ; and I obtained from New York a cylinder 
for grinding of bark, also by water : also cleared a quan- 
tity of land, commenced making roads, and built several 
bridges. 

1805. — This year we continued also, much in the same 
course, to clear off lands, and arranging the new roads, 
making provisions for new settlers, sowing wheat: I 
employed about the same number of men as the year 
before, and laid down more land for gTazing, pastures, 
&c. I also made a trip to Massachusetts, and procured 
some valuable stock and grass-seed, and collected arrears 
of debts due to me. 



XXVlll APPENDIX. 

1806. — I now thought proper to post and make up ray 
accounts, and see what I had expended, how much the 
inhabitants owed me, as I had then expended 20,000 
dollars. 1 had just returned from Montreal, having been 
down with flour : the expenses of this journey had con- 
sumed the whole value of it, as it was conveyed upon 
sleighs drawn by oxen, and the roads bad. As I had 
now been six years in the township of Hull, and expended 
my capital, it was time for me to look out for an export 
market to cover my imports ; no export market had been 
found, as not a stick of timber had been sent from that 
place down those dangerous Rapids. I then agreed to 
try to get some tim])er ready and try it, and accordingly 
I then set out to examine the Rapids quite down to the 
Isle of Montreal. The inhabitants who had been settled 
there nearly two hundred years, told me it was not pos- 
sible for me to get timber to Quebec by the route on the 
north side of the Isle of Montreal, as such a thing never 
had been done, and never could be done. I said I would 
not believe it until I had tried it. I prepared my rafts 
for the spring, and came from Hull down my new-dis- 
covered channel for the Quebec market. From Hull we 
came down all the Rapids of the Long Sault, to the 
island of Montreal and the river Saint Lawrence : it was 
a new thing, but a costly one to me. Being a total 
stranger to navigating the Rapids, we were thirty-five 
days getting down, as our rafts would oftentimes run 
aground, and cause us a deal of labour to get them off 
again, and I had no person that was acquainted with the 
channel ; but having, from experience, learnt the manner 
of coming down, we can now oftentimes come down them 
in twenty-four hours : however, after much fatigue, and 
expense, we arrived at Quebec with the first timber from 
that township that ever came to Quebec, it can be 
brought a halfpenny cheaper to Quebec than it can to 



APPENDIX. XXlX 

Montreal. This was in the year 1807. Now, in the year 
1823, upwards of three hundred common cargoes were 
brought to Quebec, and not one to Montreal through the 
same channel ; only seventeen years back not one cargo 
of timber came from the Grand River, and whoever lives 
to see seventeen or eighteen years hence, will no doubt 
see four times that quantity, not only of timber, but 
potashes, and flour, beef, pork, and many other articles 
too numerous to mention, brought from the same quarter 
to Quebec. 

1808. This winter I endeavoured to obtain employ- 
ment for my surplus men. In the summer we are 
obliged to employ a number of men, and in the winter 
one-quarter of that number is sufficient to carry on the 
business of the farm ; and, in order to find employment 
for those additional or surplus men, I commenced the 
lumber business, drawing, and procuring timber for ray 
mills, and sawing them into planks, boards, &c. If I 
had not given these men employment during the winter, 
it would have been impossible for me to have obtained 
men in the spring, when I most wanted them, as the dis- 
tance from any settlement was so great ; but, unfortu- 
nately for me, on the 8th of May, 1808, my mills were 
burnt, and not my mills only, but a large quantity of 
boards, planks, &c. which were preparing for the Quebec 
market ; I had not a piece of board left for my use, with- 
out either chopping it with an axe or obtaining it from a 
distance of eighty miles, except what was on my build- 
ings. This loss was most severely felt, as it was very 
near destroying the settlement : there was no insurance 
effected upon my mills. This loss made me almost de- 
spair of ever recovering it, or doing any good upon the 
settlement, and I was about to quit it, but my sons wished 
me not to despair. It was also a great loss to the settle- 
ment, as the greater part of our corn was in the mill and 



XXX APPENDIX. 

burnt, with the exception of seven bushels of flour, which 
was taken from the mill the night before ; and to see the 
distress that was occasioned by this accident was most 
affecting. The square timber lying afloat was saved, 
and with it I came to Quebec, and returned as soon as 
possible, and commenced a new saw-mill ; I set all 
hands to work T could obtain, and finished the mill in 
sixty days. After so doing, I commenced a grist-mill, 
which I also finished in the fall of the year : during this 
period I was obliged to obtain provisions from Montreal. 
1809. This year was spent in much the same routine 
as the preceding year, except clearing about fifty acres 
of land, and also having in my employ about eighty men, 
some in different^mechanical branches, and others upon 
the farm, and in preparing timber for the Quebec mar- 
ket: I likewise built a number of buildings, such as 
barns, stables, &c. 

1812. This year I let one hundred acres of wood 
land to be cleared, branded, &c., and made fit for 
the harrow, for the price or sum of 41. per acre ; I also 
built a house in the centre for workmen. I paid 251. for 
ashes and 50?. to have it well harrowed and cross-har- 
rowed, the whole amounting to 500/., which was finished 
and sown that September with wheat, and fenced round; 
I also employed a number of men in exporting timber to 
Quebec, and also upon the different farms, amounting 
to about ninety men. 

1813. This year I made a road from the saw-mill to 
the last-mentioned house I built, distant about one-and- 
a-half mile, and built a large barn (say forty by seventy) 
eighteen feet posts, covered in, and complete for receiving 
my wheat. At the time of harvest, I employed about 
twenty additional men to assist in getting in the harvest, 
reaping, carting, &c., which wheat I got in well, and in 
good order. I also made an addition to this farm, by 



APPENDIX. XXH 

clearing about ninety acres for the next year's crop of 
wheat, with my own men labourers; and during the 
winter we threshed out our wheat, and paid the labourers 
6*. for every ten bushels for threshing, which they cleaned 
and brought to the grist-mill. At the finishing of thresh- 
ing this wheat, we measured 3000 bushels; these 3000 
bushels cost me 2000 dollars, for which I was offered 
9000 dollars, three dollars per bushel being at that time 
the common price, on account of the war. I must say it 
was the most advantageous undertaking I ever engaged 
in since I commenced the settlement. Having a clear 
profit of 7000 dollars, I continued to expend upon the 
farm. I then commenced building sheds adjoining the 
same barn, upon the same farm, 100 feet west, 200 feet 
south, 208 feet east, and 100 feet to the barn, making in 
the whole 800 feet of shed. The sheds are 1 8 feet in width 
on the west, and on the south 36 feet, and upon the north 
and east they are 1 8 feet wide, 1 8 feet high on the east 
side in front of the square by 12 in the rear, with racks 
and mangers, the whole of the distance round bound 
with iron ; the yard also is fenced across for different 
kinds of cattle, well clap-boarded, painted, &c. Upon 
the outside, in this way, I keep my cattle, giving every 
kind a fair chance to the air. I likewise built a large 
distillery (40 by 80), with every article necessary for the 
establishment, with a shed of 500 feet, and troughs to 
receive the wash, for the benefit of the cattle, hogs, &c. 
1814. In the year 1804 I sold 100 acres of wood land, 
adjoining this said farm, at the price of 1 0*. per acre ; 
and, in the year 1814, having occasion to enlarge my 
farm, I bought this same land of 100 acres, after the 
person had held it ten years, and cleared sixty acres and 
put some buildings thereon, and paid him 5l. per acre. 
I cleared, in addition to this purchase, 120 acres, seeded 
down about the same quantity with red clover, white 



XXXll APPENDIX. 

clover, and timothy; and to sow this land with the above 
kinds of grass seeds, I take about a quart of each kind 
per acre : this is my general rule. I this year employed 
about twenty men upon this farm ; they were employed 
mostly in clearing of land, and building of fences, &c., 
and also sowing the fallows with fall wheat. I also made 
a new road through the centre of this farm, and we ar- 
ranged the farm into different sections, or pastures, for 
the accommodation of mowing, tillage, and pasturage, 
and also put upon this farm an additional number of 
cows, so as to make the number up to forty ; besides 
thirty yoke of oxen, old and young, twenty working 
horses, besides breeding mares, sheep, goats, swine, &c. 
This farm, up to the present day, contains about 800 
acres of cleared land, divided into different divisions, for 
the accommodation of the different kinds of cattle. I 
also built, in addition to the former buildings, six barns 
upon this farm, to stow the hay and corn, besides having 
a number of large hay ricks. For some years past I 
had made it a rule to raise from thirty to forty calves 
upon this farm, besides colts, lambs, pigs, &c. I have 
in general about thirty old pigs, and double that number 
of young ones, besides fifty breeding sheep. 

1815. During the year 1815 we continued to clear and 
improve this farm, and employed about twenty men dur- 
ing the summer, and about seven during the winter ; the 
others, which were not wanted, were employed in pre- 
paring timber for the Quebec market; some employed 
in taking out the small stumps and roots, and levelling 
the roughest of the places, as the roots began to decay, 
according to the size of the stumps. Beech and rock 
maple stumps are with much more ease taken out after the 
seventh year; pine, elm, basswood, and hemlock, are 
less hable to rot, and therefore require about fifteen years 
before they can be taken out, especially those of the 



APPENDIX. XXXUl 

largest size. Every season I set apart a certain number of 
days, and take from two to six pair of oxen, harnessed 
with strong chains, which are fastened round the stumps 
and drawn up, collected together into piles, and burnt 
upon the ground, and level the places from which they 
are drawn. This work is done mostly in our mowing 
and tillage ground ; but those of the largest kind we 
omit until a future time, as every year we are obliged to 
spend some time opening of ditches for draining the 
land, and also being very particular, upon the first fall 
of snow, to sow my grass seed upon the lands intended 
for mowing or pasturage, and also to have a quantity of 
wood land under-brushed, and the under-brush piled for 
the better accommodation of cutting our fire-wood, so as 
to have easy access for the wood, if the snow should 
happen to be deep. This land in the spring is then burnt, 
and sown with spring wheat or other seeds, which is a 
great saving to the farmer. 

1816 to 1823. — These years were managed in much 
the same routine as the former years. This farm, called 
the Columbia farm, has, in the whole, about 800 acres 
of land cleared off from its natural forest since the year 
1811, into tillage, mowing, and pasturage, &c. — say 300 
acres in tillage. And I have within these five years past 
raised 143 head of cattle upon this same farm. 



PAPER D, Page 28, INTRODUCTION. 

In the beginning of 1830, it being a time of much dis- 
tress in several parts of England, a voluntary emigra- 
tion to Canada was resolved upon by a number of the 
labouring population of the parish of Corsley, near 

d 



XXXIV APPENDIX. 

Warminster, in Wilts. For the accomplishment of their 
purpose, some sold what little property they had, others, 
after much importuning;, got the parish officers to raise 
them some assistance, and they finally, to the number 
of sixty-five persons, embarked for Quebec, in a vessel 
■which sailed from Newport, in Glamorganshire,' on the 
7th of April, 1830. In the course of the end of the 
same year, and the beginning of the last, (1831,) most 
of them had written home to their friends ; and the fol- 
lowing extracts from the communications of these un- 
lettered individuals give an account of the country, and 
of their own success, extremely interesting to the poor 
man, as well as to every philanthropic mind. They were 
originally collected and published by G. Poulett 
ScROPE, Esq. ; and we give them here verbatim, (the 
spelling only having been corrected), and without note 
or comment : — 

From W. Clements, (day-labourer, of Corsley, Wilts,) 
dated Port Talbot, Upper Canada, October 10, 
1830. 
* My dear Father, — I thank God I am got to the 
land of liberty and plenty. I arrived here on the 9th 
July. I had not a single shilling left when I got here. 
But I met with good friends that took me in ; and I went 
to work at 6s. per day and my board, on to this day. 
And now I am going to work on my own Farm of 50 
acres, which I bought at 55/., and I have 5 years to pay 
it in. I have bought me a Cow and 5 pigs. And I 
have sowed 4i acres of wheat, and I have 2 more to 
sow. I am going to build me a house this fall, if I live.. 
And if I had staid at Corsley, I never should have had 
nothing. I like the country very much. I am at liberty 
to shoot turkeys, quail, pigeon, and all kinds of game 
which I have in my back wood. I have also a sugar 



APPENDIX. XXXV- 

bush, that will make me a ton of sugar yearly. The- 
timber is very fine. We sow but one bushel of wheat 
to an acre, and the increase is about 50. One single 
grain will bring from 30 to 60 ears. The land in gene- 
ral is black peat and sandy loam. My wife and two 
sons are all well and happy, and thankful that they have 
arrived over safe ; and wish father and mother and all 
the family were as well provided for as we be. If the 
labouring men did but know the value of their strength, 
they would never abide contented in the old country. 
Cows are worth from 50*. to 3/. 10s. Sheep, large and 
far, are worth 1 0*. 6d. Oxen from 51. to 61. No poor- 
rate, no taxes, no overseer, no beggars. ' The wheat that 
is left in the fields would keep a whole parish. Several 
of them that came out with us are near, Joseph Silcox 
within 2 miles,' &c. 



From James Treasure, (shoemaker,) Yarmouth, U.C. 
August 9, 1830. 

* I see plainly there will be work enough if I had two 
or three hands. I have a great deal more than I can 
do now, and they tell me it will come in faster after 
harvest ; but there is no possibility of getting hands. I 
have 13*. Qd. for making a pair of WeUington boots, the 
leather being found me. This will go nearly as far again 
in provisions here as at home. The price for making 
men and women's shoes is both alike, 4*. 6d. for light 
and 3*. 6d. for strong. They find their own thread too. 
I can now save money very fast, and shall soon be able 
to buy my own leather, which will be more profitable. 
The neighbours are very kind. They all want us to visit 
them. We have as much as we hke fetching of potatos, 
French beans, green peas, onions, cucumbers, &c. from 
any of the neighbours with a hearty welcome. The best 

d 2 



3bCXVl APPENDIX. 

mutton is 2|c?. per pound. Veal 2c?. Butter 6c?. We 
have all, through mercy, enjoyed excellent health. The 
Climate is perhaps a little warmer here than at home, 
but I don't find any great difference. Flour, 1 should 
have said, is three farthings per pound. Land is from 
9s. to 18*. per acre. All who came over with us like the 

country very well There is not a doubt but all who 

are willing to work would get a plenty, and good pay. 
Mechanics, they say, are wanted very bad. I have no 
doubt, after we are a little more settled, we shall be able 
to save 30^. a week. The people here wonder that more 
do not come. We were told at New York that 7,000 
had landed there in about four or five weeks, and 200 
families were landed at this creek this summer ; but they 
are all lost like a drop in a bucket. We are a great 
deal better and comfortabler than we expected to be in 
so short a time. I want to advise you all to come, for 
h€re we are all free from anxiety as to getting on. I 
should be happy to hear that two or three thousand was 
coming from Frome. It would be the best thing in the 
world for them. Here would be plenty for them to do 
and plenty to eat and drink. In this there is no mis- 
take. I seem now to want to tell this, that, and the other 
story, about men who came here without a single shil- 
ling, but have now good farms of their own, but they 
would be too numerous. I can only say that all the 
good accounts I have heard of America, I now believe 
to be correct,' &c. 



From Philip Annett, (day-labourer, of Corsley,) Port 
Talbot, U.C. May 24, 1830. 

. * I think you had better sell your house and get a 
little off the parish, and come to Canada whilst you have 
a chance. If you don't come soon it is likely you will 



APPENDIX. xxxvn 

starve, and if you don't your children will ; whilst if you 
was to come hither with your family, any one would 
be glad to take 1 or 2 of them and keep them as their 
own children, until of age, and then give them 100 
acres of land and some stock besides. I was agreeably 
surprised when I came here to see what a fine country 
it was. It being excellent land, bearing crops of wheat 
and other corn for 20 or 30 years without any dung. 
Here you have no rent to pay, no poor-rates, and 
scarcely any taxes. No game-keepers, or Lords over 
you. Here you can go and shoot wild deer, turkeys,, 
pheasants, quails, pigeons, and other sort of game, and 
calch plenty offish without molestation whatever ; here 
you can raise every thing of your own that you want to. 
make use of in your family. You can make your own 
soap, candles, sugar, treacle, and vinegar, without pay- 
ing any duty. Clothing is as cheap as in England. — 
Wages is high. A man can get two bushels of wheat 
for a day's work in harvest time. We have plenty of 
fruit here, such as plums and grapes, and peaches.. 
Cyder is sold at 5*. per barrel ; it is a land of liberty and 
plenty. I think no Englishman can do better than 
come as soon as possible, if it costs them every farthing 
they have, for I would be rather so here than in Eng- 
land with 100/. in my pocket. Robert can come and get 
a good farm here in the course of 3 or 4 years at shoe- 
making. I think he could earn and save besides keep- 
ing himself 50/. a year. I am sure he could. It grieves 
me concerning you in England and poverty and hard 
labour. A man can earn enough in 3 days to last hira 
all the week. I am satisfied with the country, and so is 
Louisa, for we are as much respected here as any of our 
neighbours, and so would you if you come,' &c. 



XXXVUl APPENDIX 

From Joseph Silcox, (glazier, of Corsley, and dis- 
senting preacher, — paid his own passage,) South- 
wold, near Port Talbot, Upper Canada, May 26, 
1831. 

* We are enjoying a very good state of health and 
spirits, and are doing extremely well. We have planted 
and sowed to oats, potatoes, and corn, about 18 acres. 
I have eight acres of Indian corn and three of wheat, 
which looks well. My prospect is very good. The boys 
chopped off 9 acres last winter, which we are now just 
going to clear off. We shall sow this fall as much as 19 
acres of wheat, if we have our health during the summer 
to clear off the land and get our fallow in order. I have 
purchased 50 acres of land for the sum of 43l. I5s. with 
14 acres of improvement on it, where I have sowed my 
peas and oats, and where I shall mow hay enough to 
winter my cattle. My stock consists at present of one 
yoke of oxen, two cows, one yearling heifer, one mare 
and colt, four spring calves, two breeding sows, 1 1 pigs, 
32 geese, and a few sheep, &c. The boys are all ex- 
tremely well satisfied with the country, do get on well 
with their work (with looking after). They say, if Lord 
Bath was to give us Corsley farm rent free, they would 
rather stay here on our own land than live in England. 
John he says he would not regard the journey back, 
provided his father and mother would return with him. 
My wife desires me to persuade any or all of her friends 
to ccme, being confident in her own mind they would be 
satisfied here, as she likes the country better than she 
does England, provided her friends were here. For my 
part 1 am of the same opinion, altho' I do not persuade 
any one to leave England because I have left it. But a 
well-stocked farm of 200 acres rent free in England 
would be no temptation to me to leave America. If any 



APPEIN'DIX. XXXIX 

of my relations or friends think proper to come, I will 
make them as comfortable as possible, and if they come 
out next spring, I shall, if Providence bless me with an 
increase, have plenty for 5 or 6 families. The best way 
is to ship at Bristol for New York, and there take a 
passage in the Channel boats for Buffalow, and then 
cross the lake to Kettle Creek, which is in the Township 
we live in.' 



James Watts, (day-labourer, of Corsley,) Lancaster, 
U. C. Oct. 28, 1830., 

•We had a middling good passage, and got to Que- 
bec the 6th day of June, then I set out for Upper Ca- 
nada to the above place, where I have been ever since, 
working at making roads at 8 dollars a month, or 1^. 165. 
of your money (besides board.) Will Singer and Thomas 
Singer are along with me upon the same wages, but 
William Aylsbury left this place on purpose to go home 
to his wife and family. Whether he will get home I don't 
know, but if he should, you will get all the news better 
than I can write. As far as I can learn and as far as I 
have seen, it is a good country for any industrious man 
coming to this country ; and if he can bring some money 
he will get land upon very reasonable terms, and in the 
course of a few years may make a very comfortable 
living.' 

N. B. The William Aylsbury mentioned in this let- 
ter, returned to his parish, Corsley, last winter. The 
overseers had refused to assist him to emigrate, and he 
had in consequence raised some money by sale of a few 
goods, and started by himself, leaving his wdfe and fa- 
mily chargeable to the parish. He arrived at Quebec 
on the 6th of June, he had then twenty shillings in his 



Xl APPENDIX. 

pocket ; he took the steamer to Montreal, and proceeded 
thence on foot to Cornwall, in Upper Canada, where 
he arrived with only a shilling. He found immediate 
employment, togetlier with the writer of the last letter 
and others whom he had accompanied from England, 
on the Government Roads. His wages were nine dol- 
lars per month besides his bed and board. He lived on 
pork, beef, mutton, potatoes, green peas, bread, cheese, 
and butter. Hands \^•ere in great request, winter as 
well as summer ; the winter wages being 5 dollars with 
bed and board. Wheat was 4*. 6d. a bushel. Tea 
3s. 6d. per pound. A church in the town where service 
was performed regularly. He came away on the 1st of 
November with nearly 71. in his pocket, with which he 
paid his passage home, where he arrived without having 
entirely emptied his purse. This account is taken from 
Aylsbury's own lips, and is worthy of attention, as shew- 
ing that the savings that can be made from a labourer's 
wages for about four months' work in Canada, will 
amply pay the expenses of his passage out from his 
parish from England. Aylsbury is anxious to take his 
family back with him, having returned only to fetch 
tliera, but cannot persuade his wife to overcome her 
fears of the voyage. 



From Thomas Hunt, (day-labourer of Chapmanslade, 
in the parish of Corsley,) dated Nelson, U. C. Nov. 
14, 1830. 

' We are in a good country for poor folks ; we have 
plenty of good fire and grog. Wheat 4*. per bushel, 
good boiling peas 3*. Gd. Rye 3^. Buck wheat 2^. 6d. 
Indian Corn 2*. 6c?. Oats 2^., Potatoes l-s. 3d. Rum 
ICrf. per^quart. Good Whiskey 7 |d Brandy 9c?. per 



APPENDIX. XU 

quart. Port Wine 1^. 3d. Tea 3^. 6c?. per pound. We 
make our own sugar, our own soap, candles, and bal:e 
good light bread. Beef and mutton 2d. per pound, &c. 
Fat geese 1.?. 6d. Best fowls 1*. 3^.* per couple. Wages 
3/, per month, and our keep. We dine with our masters. 
Women 2s, 6d. a day, and good keep. Good apples Is, 
per bushel, &c. The price of land is about 1/. per acre 
near the roads, some way back it is cheaper. No poor- 
rates, nor taxes of any consequence. I see in the paper 
great lamentations for our departure from Chapraans- 
lade. Mo?'e need to rejoice. We three brothers have 
bought 200 acres of land at \2s. 6d. per acre. We have 
paid 251. and have 100/. to pay in five years, that is 20l. 
a year, between three, that is 6/. I3s. 4d. each. It is in 
Nelson, district of Gore, about 5 miles from Street, with 
a pretty good road to our lot. Only nine miles to Lake 
Ontario, a good sale for all grain. A grist-mill and a 
saw-mill within 25 chains, which is a great advantage. 
A good river runs right through our lot of land, and good 
springs rise on it. We shall never want for water, nor 
timber. We have several adjoining houses, chiefly Eng- 
lish people. We can raise up a good house in a little 
while at little expense. We have thousands of tons of 
timber, and good stone for building. It is called the 
healthiest place in Upper Canada. We have no sick- 
ness since we have been here. Stouter than w^e was ia 
in England. Sarah wishes to see all her friends here. 
We expect to clear 20 acres by next harvest. We cut 
the trees about 3 feet above ground, and put fire to it, 
and burn it root and branch. We are about 70 U miles 
from Quebec. That is but little here. Sarah Hunt 
and her five children is all well ; she was confined on the 
river St. Lawrence. She had a very good time. She 
and all is very stout, never wishing to return to England, 
but rather all friends was here, for here is plenty of work. 



Xlii APPENDIX. 

and plenty to eat and drink. Thank God we are here. 
We all wish that our Fathers, and mothers, and brothers, 
and sisters, was here, for here is plenty of room for all 
there is in England. They that think to work may do 
well. But if our fathers and mothers was here, they 
should never be obliged to do a hard day's work, for we 
■would keep them without work if they were not able. 
But if any of you should come, they must make up their 
minds not to be faint-hearted. You may expect rocking, 
but I don't fear the raging seas. For more may come 
as safe as we, for the God that rules the land rules the 
sea. There is some come this year turned back before 
they knew whether 'tis good or bad. But I thank my 
God that we are here. Thomas Hunt, James Hunt, 
Jeremiah Hunt.' 



Esau Pr angle y, (butcher, of Corsley,) Port Talbot, 
U. C. Oct. 10th, 1830. 

* We arrived last July, and like the country well. 
Clements and I have bought 100 acres of land between 
us. I have about 25 acres cleared on my 50, for 70l. I 
have paid down 12/. \0s., and have five years to pay the 
remainder in, I have a house and barn on the place 
ready to go into. I have sowed 4^ acres of wheat, &c.' 
* Charles is doing well, he is hired by the year for 12^. 
105., with board and lodging. Men's wages is from 3*. 
to 5^. per day, take the year round, with board. Cle- 
ments and I cut and thrashed and winnowed in 4 days, 
84 bushels of Peas, and for our wages got 21 bushels, 
being one quarter, and boarded into it. Wheat here 
sells for 3*. the bushel. We have a very healthy coun- 
try,' &c. 



APPENDIX. xliii 

From George Lewis, (day-labourer, of Corsley,) Dun- 
das, U. C. July 1], 1830. 

* We are very well provided for, with regard to a situa- 
tion. We have a very good house and our fire found us, 
and George has wages 100 dollars a-year, and all his 
keep ; which is much better than ever I should have 
found in England. My master is an Enghshraan, and a 
very good master, for he makes everything to my satis- 
faction, and I am very happy to think the Lord has pro- 
vided me so well, and I have to inform you I never de- 
sire to come to England any more, for we found it a 
troublesome journey to that happy spot where we are 
now situated. I have to inform you that w^e need not - 
go to bed a- cold nights for want of something to keep 
us warm, for we can get good liquors very cheap, good 
rum at 5d. per pint, whiskey 7hd. per quart,' &c. 



From Vv^iLLiAM Snelgrove, (day-labourer, of Corsley,) 
Dundas, U. C. Sept. 3, 1830. 

* Dear friends, — This comes with my kind love to you, 
hoping it will find you in good health, as it leaves us at 
present. Tlianks be to God for it. Health is a beauti- 
ful thing ; and it depends upon God alone to give it. 
Was it in the hands of man, health would decline, as 
many other things have in England, as labour and vic- 
tualling, which, if the good God give us our health, is 
as plentiful with us as the scarcity is with you. We 
have plenty of good beef, and mutton, and pork, and 
flour, fish, fowl, and butter ; and I'm happy to state that 
by one day's work a man can supply himself v.ith suffi- 
cient of all these necessaries for 3 days. You have a 
good many cold bellies to go to bed with, I know, or 
things is greatly altered from the state that it was when 



xllV APPENDIX. 

I was with you. But if you were with us, if you liked, 
for three half-pence your belly would be so warm that 
you would not know the ivay to bed. "With regard to 
work, harvest-work is one dollar a day and board, other 
work is three-fourths of a dollar and a pint of whiskey. 
"Wheat is from 3s. 9d. to 5^. per bushel. Butchers 
meat 2d. to 3d. per lb. Cousin Henry, you may depend 
that all here said is true, so that you see here is all the 
chance in the world for the poor man to live,' &c. 



rrom "William Singer, (bricklayer, of Corsley,) Bark 
Street, Southwold, U. C. 15th March, 1831. 

* I have worked some at my trade. A person that 
can work well can get a dollar and a half a day, and in 
the harvest-fields a dollar. I like this part of the coun- 
try very well, and intend staying here this summer. I 
have been working on a farm chopping, and other work, 
but have been very unfortunate, I have cut myself four 
or five times. You must not think that I dislike the 
country on account of my misfortunes, for if I was to 
cut my leg right off, I should never think of returning 
to Corsley again, for I could do much better here with 
one leg than in Corsley with two. We can always have 
plenty of work here. We board and lodge with the 
person we work for. If any of my old acquaintance is 
got tired of being slaves and drudges, tell them to come 
to Upper Canada to Wm. Singer, and he will take them 
by the hand and lead them to hard work and good wages, 
and the best of living. Any of them could do well here. 
Old George Silcox likes the country well ; but if any of 
you was coming out, he wishes you to bring him a quart 
of James Knight's strong beer, as we cannot get any 
so good here. We can get whiskey at half a dollar per 
gallon, as strong as the Gin you get in England. We 



APPENDIX. XlV- 

have eight English famiUes within about 2 miles, all 
from Westbury or Corsley. They are all well, and doing 
well, busy making sugar this last week. This part of 
the country is very fine. The winter has been more 
than commonly severe, but I have not found it colder 
than in England,' &c. 



From Thomas Hunt, (labourer, of Chapmanslade, pa- 
rish of Corsley,) Nelson,U. C. May 18, 1831. 

* Have built us a House on our land, and are all in 
a good growing state. We do think to get us a plough 
of oxen this summer, and a cow or two. We have got 
our wheat sowed. We do think to sow about 12 or 14 
acres of wheat next fall. In about two years we shall 
be able to work all of our time on our farm, but now 
buying our seed and stock, we have to work out some- 
times. We have neither wanted for food nor fire, for 
we have wood a plenty, and to spare. We have had 
cold, but not suffered with it so much as we should in 
England. This is a country for labouring men to get 
their bread ; but some as will not work is poor here, and 
give the country a bad name. But I never wish to come 
to England any more. We have meeting-houses not far 
off. A plenty of neighbours round,' &c. 



From James Watts, (day-labourer,) Lancaster, U. C. 
*■ As for the country, I think it a very goo4 place for 
any one that wishes to have land of his own, for you can 
get land in different places from 5^. to 20s. per acre, and 
time to pay for it by paying one-fifth of the purchase- 
money, and the remainder in five years, by paying 6pep' 
cent, interest,' &c. 



Xlvi APPENDIX. 

PAPER E, Page 38, INTRODUCTION. 

The following further Directions will be found useful and 
important, which we give from several respectable 
authorities, including the statements and suggestions 
of two intelligent emigrants. 
* The passage is usually from three to six or eight 
weeks. It is best for emigrants to take but little bag- 
gage with them beyond their wearing apparel, bedding, 
and utensils for cooking on the passage. They should 
also lay in their own provisions. If they contract for 
their food with the captain of the vessel they embark in, 
it is not likely to be of so good a quality. The kind of 
stock recommended by those who have made the pas- 
sage, is flour, potatoes, bacon, and, perhaps, a little salt- 
beef, rice or oatmeal, tea, sugar, coffee, apples, or other 
fruit ; some or all of these things, according to the taste 
of the parties. The flour can be baked into fresh cakes 
when wanted, which are much more agreeable and 
wholesome than sea biscuits.' — G. P. Scropes Extracts 
of Letters, Pre/ace, p. 10. 

Mr. Pickering, the farmer, took out for himself for an 
eight weeks' passage, viz. — [a iittle modified by his 
advice] — 

■ 25 lbs. biscuit-bread, the best, packed close in a barrel. 
10 lbs. flour, — 6 lbs. rice. 

2 bushels potatoes. 

10 lbs. beef, — 10 lbs. pork— (if no fowls are taken). 

1 lb. tea,— :^ lb. caffee. 

7 lbs. sugar, — 5 lbs. butter. 

3 lbs. cheese,— 2 gallons bottled porter, — with onions, 
apples, oranges, mustard, &c. 

Value of the whole, 3Z. Qs. 9d. 

This cost included a few pounds of portable soup, half 



APPENDIX. Xlvii 

a bushel of apples, a bottle of port wine, stimulating con- 
diments, such as mustard, pepper, ginger, nutmegs, a 
little vinegar, some peppermint drops, &c., all most 
useful and necessary for the expected sea- sickness. As 
a stimulant for the stomach, when recovering, a few good 
red herrings are exceedingly agreeable provisions to 
poor passengers. Cream or milk ought also to be taken 
if possible, and may be preserved by boiling, adding two 
pounds of loaf sugar to a quart, and then bottled close. 
When emigrants go in parties, they may arrange to take 
a pig or two with them, which stock are easily supported 
on board ship ; and, when killed on the passage, at pro- 
per intervals, form most agreeable fresh food. Ducks 
also do well at sea, and a little salt fish, with eggs, &c. is 
also an agreeable variety. 

The following excellent further suggestions we extract 
from a little book written by William Cattermole, an 
intelligent emigrant and land agent, dated May, 1831. 

* Parties going together in the steerage, or half deck, 
"would do right in closely examining into the exact ac- 
commodations they are to receive — such as w-ater-clo- 
sets ; if they are allowed the use of the quarter-deck; at 
what time the lights are expected to be put out : these cau- 
tions may prevent bad feelings on the passage; and cabin 
passengers, particularly those with families, should do 
the same, ascertaining what wine, spirits, and porter is 
allowed, to prevent misunderstanding when out. Many 
vessels offered to take steerage passengers at ll. 105',, and 
find them with respectable accommodations — this, for 
single persons, with a few^ extras they might provide 
themselves, would answer their purpose better 'than 
having the trouble of laying in and cooking their ovm 
provisions.' 

Further on, he adds, parties going by way either of 
Quebec or New York, frequently arrange with the cap- 



Xlviii APPENDIX. 

tain to have a portion of their steerage partitioned off, 
eight or ten feet square, which is both economical and 
pleasant, particularly with families, as they are inde- 
pendent of the many. Three or four going thus, will 
possess all the comforts of the cabin, and at one-fourth 
the expense. When you get to sea, much of the dis- 
tinction of cabin and steerage, if respectable, ceases; 
and once landed, no inquiries are made in what part of 
the ship you came in. The cabin is all very well for 
single ladies and gentlemen, but with families, it is an 
expensive place, and the money so spent would be useful 
on getting into a new country. In the steerage, the lights 
are put out at nine o'clock, and no smoking is allowed 
between decks in any part of the vessel. 

* Those who have more cash than they have occasion 
for, and wish to pay brokers and all the tribe that will 
beset them, will have plenty of opportunity to keep their 
hands going ; but if industrious, and choose to go to the 
Searcher's-office, they may save Is., }s. 6d., and 2^. on 
all their packages. Ask for a printed form, which they 
must sign, and deliver to the custom-house officer, with 
a tender to allow him to examine the packets, luggage, 
or baggage, if he wishes it. He signs it, and this is all 
that is required from emigrants, who may then ship it 
without any expense, except wharfage charges.' — Pages 
85, 87, &c. 

The following general directions to emigrants are 
given by Mr. J. C. Buchanan, whose experience in this 
department is well known. 

' I would particularly recommend,' he says, * the 
months of April and May for going out, as you may then 
expect a favourable passage : on no account go in .July 
or August, as, from the prevalence of south-west winds, 
you will have a tedious passage. Make your bargain for 
your passage with the owner of the ship, or some well- 



APPENDIX. Xlix 

Icnown, respectable broker, or shipmaster. Avoid, by 
all means, those crimps that are generally found about 
the docks and quays near where ships are taking in 
passengers. Be sure that the ship is going to the port 
you contract for, as much deception has been practised 
in this respect. It is important to select a well-known 
captain and a fast-saihng ship, even at a higher rate. 

* When you arrive at the port you sail for, proceed 
immediately in the prosecution of your objects, and do 
not loiter about, or suffer yourself to be advised by de- 
signing people, who too often give their opinion unso- 
licited. If you want advice, and there is no official 
person present at the port you may land at, go to some 
respectable person or chief magistrate, and be guided by 
his advice. 

* Let your baggage be put up in as small a compass 
as possible ; get a strong deal chest, of convenient size ; 
let it be the shape of a sailor's box, broader at bottom 
than top, so that it will be more steady on board ship : 
good strong linen or sacking bags will be found very 
useful. Pack your oatmeal or flour in a strong barrel, 
or flax-seed cask (which you can purchase cheap in the 
spring of the year). I would advise, in addition to the 
usual wood-hoops, two iron ones in each cask, with 
strong lid and good hinge, a padlock, &c. Baskets or 
sacks are better adapted for potatoes than casks. 

' The following supply will be sufficient for a family of 
five persons for a voyage to North America, viz. — 48 
stone of potatoes (if in season, say not after the 1st of 
June) ; 21 cwt. of oatmeal or flour ; J cwt. of biscuits ; 
20 lbs. of butter in a keg ; 1 gallon of m.olasses ; 20 lbs. 
of bacon ; 50 lbs. of fish (herrings) in a small keg ; 1 
gallon of spirits, and a little vinegar. When you con- 
tract with the captain for your passage, do not forget to 



1 APPENDIX. 

insure a sufficient supply of good water. An adult will 
require five pints per day, children in proportion. 

' The foregoing will be found a sufiicient supply for 
an emigrant's family of five persons for sixty or seventy 
days, and will cost about 51. in Ireland or Scotland ; in 
England, 6Z. or 71. If the emigrant has the means, let 
him purchase besides, 1 lb. of tea and 14 lbs. of sugar 
for his wife. 

• The preceding statement contains the principal ar- 
ticles of food required, which may be varied as the taste 
and circumstances of the emigrant may best suit. In 
parting with your household furniture, &c. reserve a 
pot, a tea-kettle, frying-pan, feather-bed (the Irish pea* 
santry generally possess a feather-bed), as much coarse 
linen as you can, and strong woollen stockings ; all these 
will be found very useful on board ship, and at your set- 
tlement, and are not very difficult to carry. Take your 
spade and reaping-hook with you, and as many mechanical 
tools as you can— such as augers, planes, hammers, 
chisels, &c. ; thread, pins, needles, and a strong pair of 
shoes for winter. In summer, in Canada, very little 
clothing is required for six months — only a coarse shirt 
and linen trowsers, and you will get cheap mocassins 
(Indian shoes) ; you will also get cheap straw hats in 
the Canadas, which are better for summer than wool 
hats, and in winter you will require a fur or Scotch 
woollen cap.' 

Further on this zealous promoter of colonization 
adds, ' The risk of a bad harvest or hay-time is rarely 
felt in Canada, and consequently, farming is not attended 
with so much anxiety or labour as in the United King- 
dom. The winters are cold, but dry and bracing. I 
have seen men in the woods in winter felling trees with 
their coats ofi", and otherwise lightly clothed. The 



APPENDIX. li 

summers are extremely hot, particularly in July and 
August. 

* The new settler must consult the seasons in all his 
undertakings, and leave nothing to chance or to be done 
another day. The farmers of Lower Canada are worthy 
of remark in those respects. 

* In conclusion, I beseech you, if you have any party 
feeling at home — if you wish to promote your own pros- 
perity, and that of your family — wash your hands clean 
of it ere you embark. Such characters are looked 
upon with suspicion in the colonies, and you could not 
possibly take with you a worse recommendation.'— 
Buchanan's Emigration practically Considered. 



PAPER F, Page 238. 

Among other sights that interest travellers when in 
this neighbourhood, is Balston, or the battle-ground of 
Saratoga, near a pretty lake, eight miles in length. This 
battle-ground is the scene of the famous surrender of 
General Burgoyne in 1777; when about 6000 British 
troops, having been shut up in a corner, were compelled 
to lay down their arms to the Americans. Near this, 
an encampment of Indians which happened to be 
on the spot, is thus described in Mr. Gould's notes : — 

* In the skirts of the town, or village, was an encamp- 
ment of Indians, a set of dirty, large-headed, Calmuck- 
shaped fellows, with their lank, black, horse hair hanging 
over their shoulders, and an excessive coarseness about 
the mouth. They are not many shades lighter than ne- 
groes; the old men remarkably stupid-looking, with a 
few long stragghng hairs on their faces ; the young men 
stouter, their faces, being plucked, quite smooth; the 
women, or • squaws,' a broad-built, pigeon-toed, dirty 
race ; a short petticoat, woollen leggjngs without feet, and 

e2 



lii APPENDIX. 

a blanket tied round their loins, made up their wardrobe. 
The blanket is held over the shoulders, and in general a 
child's head is seen peeping out behind ; their strong, 
black hair is neatly parted along their head : the men 
were dressed in slouching hats and smock-frocks. They 
were the dirtiest, ugliest Indians I had yet seen ; indeed 
it was only an occasional straggler that had passed me. 
These people were shooting with a bow and arrow at a 
cent, or half-penny, on a stick, at about twenty yards dis- 
tance. They are expert enough at hitting it. It appears 
to be their common employment in the towns in the 
neighbourhood of their settlements. These are the re- 
mains of the Oneidas. Can this be so? Alas ! so it is. 
These are the descendants of those same Oneidas whom 
Campbell, in his Gertrude of Wyoming^ has endowed 
with the greatest and sternest virtues of humanity : — 

The Stoics of the woods, the men without a tear. 

I am sorry to confess, that the little I have hitherto seen 
of these children of the forest has caused me to write off 
a heavy discount from my anticipations, and, I may say, 
my hopes. This nation, like most others, living within 
what the United States call their territory, is in their pay. 
I think they are allowed six dollars, or twenty-six shil- 
lings each per annum, and are 'located' near Utica. 
Of the Aborigines of North America, or the * Indians,' 
as they have been called since the time of Columbus, 
who so called the first inhabitants of the ' New World' 
which he saw, thinking that he had reached the ' East 
Indies,' I shall have much more to say, should I con- 
tinue my notes into Canada, and I trust much more to 
their advantage. Their connexion with the lowest orders 
in the United States has induced a shocking demoraliza- 
tion ; the greater number of them in the United States 
are now entirely dependent on them ; they are rapidly 



APPENDIX. liii 

decreasing, or in some instances retiring farther west. 
The manner in which they live among the Americans, 
without actually amalgamating, is curious ; they have no 
vote, no privilege as citizens ; but this indifference to- 
wards them is got over by saying, * that they are con- 
sidered as, and treated with as independent nations.' I 
should, however, suppose, if they became farmers, out 
of the lands appropriated to them, and gained property, 
that they would be entitled to the rights of citizens. 
Except in one part of this Continent, they have never 
yet shewed themselves patient of regular labour ; this 
exception is at Nantucket, where they have long assisted 
in navigating the whale-ships, and prove active, good 
seamen. They are now becoming extinct most rapidly ; 
the habits of a seaman in such long voyages, and Ihft 
irregularities attached to it, are sufficient causes. The 
few who remain at home marry into the lowest orders of 
whites or of negroes : the latter is the most common.' 



PAPER G, Page 239. 

Near the town of Troy, in this neighbourhood, is also 
the celebrated Shakers' Village, of which we are enabled 
to give, from the same original Notes, taken on the 
spot, the following lively description : — 

' Fine names are '* the go" here ; our landlord is Titus ; 
indeed, being on the " Troad," v/e are of course on classic 
ground, and almost every celebrated name in the history 
of Rome stares you in the face. Being here on Saturday, 
we determined to visit Niskuyana, or the Shakers' Vil- 
lage, the following morning, on our road to Saratoga 
Springs. We crossed the Hudson in a horse-ferry boat ; 
the roads were sandy but not bad, and we reached Nis- 



liv APPENDJX. 

Guyana in lime for service : we were surprised at the 
number of carriages, gigs, carts, and horses, which were 
waiting under the trees. The village is a picture of paste- 
board neatness ; every description of work is done by the 
members, who are also great gardeners, and their seeds 
are reckoned the best in the United States; it is usual every- 
where to see in shop-windows, ' Shakers' seeds sold 
here ;' every article of dress worn by them, as well as 
the houses and furniture, is of their own manufacture. 
Their rules are severe ; they work exceedingly hard, and 
are said to be very wealthy. There are several establish- 
ments ; the largest is at Lebanon, and is said to be very 
rich. This society is one of the smallest, and may con- 
sist of from 400 to 500 members ; it has been in exist- 
ence about forty years : they hold their goods in com- 
mon ; any one on joining them gives up all his property 
to the common stock, and if he leave them he takes 
nothing away. I was informed that not long since the 
Treasurer walked off with 25,000 dollars ; but that, as he 
originally took to them 20,000, he only abstracted his 
own with usury. 

* There are some curious anomalies among these sin- 
gular people ; whilst they prohibit matrimony and sexual 
acquaintance, they will take charge of and educate chil- 
dren. However, to their service : on entering the Chapel 
we found the brothers and sisters in silent meeting, which 
is usually the commencement of their devotions ; there 
were about seventy of each sitting on stools facing each 
other, as still and motionless as statues. The men had 
no coats, but were dressed in old-fashioned jackets with- 
out collars, having flap pockets and three plaits behind ; 
trowsers, worsted stockings, and good shoes. Their 
linen was beautifully white, and their faces a wholesome 
healthy brown. The women wore very fine, plain-bor- 
dered caps, and long white dresses from the throat to the 



APPENDIX. IV 

wrists and ankles, as white and as pure as we were told 
their minds were within. The old women were plump 
and good-looking — the young ones almost as white in 
their faces as their garments ; their eyes were all soul, 
and their eyebrows and lashes seemed as if pencilled. 
The men had many of them ribbons round their arms, 
worn as marks of office. There were nearly double the 
number of visitors on benches along the walls. After 
sitting in this manner for some time, a leader thanked 
God for all the blessings they enjoyed, but in an especial 
manner for having had their souls opened to the know- 
ledge of the last revelation, and to an understanding 
thereof, leading them to salvation, into which happy state 
they had now entered, having a fulness of joy. Then 
they all rose, removed their seats, piling them at the end 
of the room, and stood like ballet-dancers. A person 
now commenced a psalm or spiritual song, in which all 
joined, marking time with their bodies in a short shake 
— the men with their feet also. Their style of singing 
resembled that of a London street-singing sailor ; their 
tunes were of the same kind — one of their chorusses 
was •' Toora loora loo." 

* "When the psalm was ended, a sober, serious, respect- 
able-looking old man came forward and addressed the 
visitors. He welcomed us to see the simplicity of their 
worship, and requested those who came from curiosity 
to see something new, to look and observe, as they might 
carry away something to think upon which might do 
them good. He observed, they did not set their light 
under a bushel, but they let all the world see it ; and 
hoped none came to interrupt them or to amuse them- 
selves improperly. Another psalm was now sung, 
and ano'hsr short address to God followed, in which re- 
ference was made to the old custom of praising God by- 
dancing. After a pause the dance began, the whole 



Ivi APPENDIX. 

number singing at the same time as loudly as possible/ 
In dancing they held up their hands, as dancing dogs 
hold up their paws, waving them up and down to the 
tune. The dance required but little space. It cannot 
be so easily described as imitated. " We hear also," said 
the leader, " of clapping of hands ;" after which they oc- 
casionally clapped their hands violently whilst dancing. 
This was repeated several times with considerable exer- 
tion, so that the perspiration flowed over their faces, and 
the room began to smell unpleasantly. 

* Another preacher now came forward, and preached 
to the visitors. He gave us his reasons for the hope 
that is in them, by giving a short, and in general a clever 
and fair history of revelation, divided into three heads. 
His text was, '* Old things have passed away, behold all 
things have become new." This exposition, in all save 
their peculiar tenets, was very sensible, and was given 
much after the manner of our Wesleyan Methodists. 
However, of Wesley he said, that he " had not knowledge 
without measure," as he had missed the knowledge of 
the last revelation. He gave a singular turn to the 
temptation of Eve, and made a curious allusion to cir- 
cumcision ; he gave also a strange exposition of being 
" neither married, nor given in marriage," which, he main- 
tained, had reference to this life. He asserted that they 
ought to abstain from it, and that it was priestcraft of 
the most abominable kind to pretend, for a dollar, to give 
people the right to live in ungodly and destructive lusts. 
He said that, in them, the " New Jerusalem" was present 
upon earth, and that it was necessary to live here now 
as we would live in Heaven hereafter, seeing how we 
prayed for that Heaven. He exhorted us to observe how 
happy they were — that they were all, as angels, purified 
from sin, &c. *' Have you," said he, " any cheaper way 
of salvation than ours ? Have you any other way ? No !" 



APPENDIX. Ivii 

said he, "without bodily purity there is no mental 
holiness, and without holiness no one shall see God !" 
More singing and dancing followed, and in the last psaltn 
they all fell down on their knees, exerting their voices to 
the utmost. After another short exhortation to us, the 
leader said, " The meeting is finished." Original sin was, 
throughout the discourse, strongly and convincingly 
argued. From what has been said it is clear that knaves, 
fools, and enthusiasts make up the majority of the mem- 
bers ; they seem to have embodied all the extravagancies 
of the most extravagant sects that have preceded them, 
and in fact to be made up of caricature. However, after 
the exhibitions of our Johanna Southcoteans, our Jum- 
pers, our Camp Methodists, our Swedenborgians, our 
Arminian Bible Christians, and the self-styled *' Free- 
thinking" Unitarians, as well as the extravaganzas, and 
(allowed) blasphemies of the Bev. Robert Taylor and 
Carlile, it is difficult to take to ourselves the right of 
*• casting the first stone." It is said that sometimes a 
couple who are anxious to change the spiritual titles of 
brother and sister into more worldly ones, will leave the 
Society, and pay the dollar alluded to by the preacher. 

' I have given as nearly as I can what I saw and heard 
at Niskuyana ; but I have been told very different things 
of the " Shaking Quakers" and their doctrines, viz., that 
they are Atheists — that they disavow, or at least make 
no account of the Mosaic Revelation — that they deny the 
resurrection of the body, claiming a preference for the 
last or present revelation, as given by their founder, Ann 
Lee, who with them is said to be superior to Jesus Christ, 
as in her the last revelation is fulfilled. I had been told 
that they claim a degree of perfection superior to that of 
Moses, David, or Christ. In respect of these things, the 
preacher whom I heard, spoke in general, as I conceive, 
in an orthodox way of God the Father, the Son, and the 



Iviii APPENDIX. 

Holy Ghost ; he spoke of the resurrection and the final 
judgment, claiming however to themselves perfectibility ; 
and in reference to their own tenets, seemed to have a 
** by play" to the general Bible History. Of Owen and 
his religious establishment at Harmony I heard but little. 
Of Miss Wright's strange conceit of '* raising" a popula- 
tion in her newly-organized society, uniting the intelli- 
gence of the white with the capabilities of tropical labour 
of the black, 1 heard nothing but disgust expressed ; she 
boldly renounces all marriage rites for her converts.' 



PAPER K, Page 258. 

Charges of removing Emigrants from New York to 
Upper Canada, and as far up the River Saint Clair 
or Detroit. Being the basis of a contract afterwards 
completed with Mr. Gait for the Canada Company ; 
showing the expense of travelling from New York to 
Upper Canada by the Erie Canal. 

Mr. Charles Smith of New York states, that he would 
undertake to transport emigrants from that city on the 
terms subsequently stated. He remarks, however, that 
in addition to these prices the contractor would be en- 
titled to some compensation by way of commission, 
unless it were agreed to accept the overhead offer which 
is also subjoined, of a specific sum per individual, includ- 
ing all expenses. 

In the following estimates no allowance is made for 
compensation to the receiving agents at Albany, or at 
the Lake Ports. In some cases the employment of their 
own vessels would be deemed sufficient, but in others, 
especially for the sake of expedition, when the first 
vessel at hand is required to be chartered, they would 



APPENDIX. liX 

naturally expect some reward for their services. — 12^ 
cents per individual, and 4 cents per cwt. for storage 
of the effects, would be satisfactory. 

So far as respects the arrangements of the conveyance 
of the settlers and their baggage upon this route, an 
early opinion of the coast would be very desirable, 
because the winter is the best season in which (o make 
contracts with the carriers, who are then disengaged, 
and to secure efficient agents at the several places of 
transfer. This last is a matter of the first importance, for 
upon their fidelity and activity will depend in a great 
degree the prompt and safe removal of the emigrants, 
from their landing at New York till their arrival in 
Upper Canada. 

The following prices are given, under the impression 
that emigrants in considerable numbers will be forwarded 
at each time, otherwise they will be detained at the 
American port on lake Ontario, till an opportunity offers 
for the Canadian coast, which sometimes does not occur 
for several days. Such detention would very seriously 
increase the expense, but if the emigrants be forwarded 
in considerable numbers, the contractor or agent would 
engage vessels for crossing lake Ontario, to sail at 
stated periods from the Genessee river, and so arrange the 
departure from New York, that the arrival on lake 
Ontario should correspond with the sailing days of the 
passage schooners. On lake Erie the same precision of 
arrangement is not so indispensable, for on that lake 
steam-boats, which during the season afford abundant 
means of conveyance as far as Detroit, can at all times 
be provided. In the ensuing summer, it is intended to 
navigate lake Huron by a steam-boat from Detroit, so 
that, as the river Sable, which is navigable by boats for 
about thirty miles, will probably be found to penetrate 
into the heart of the Company's territory, there will be 



Ik appendix. 

a connected line of water conveyance to it from New 
York. 

Families with common prudence could easily support 
themselves on the voyage from New York to Upper 
Canada for one-fourth of the sum set down in Mr. 
Charles Smith's estimate, though no carrier on the river 
or the canal would undertake to provision them at less 
than the sum mentioned : the cost of transportation, 
therefore, distinct from board, will stand thus — 

From New York to Canadian ports on lake dois. 

Ontario 4.69 

From New York to Buffalo 4.62 

From New York to Detroit 6.62 

It ought to be mentioned, for information, that it is 
proposed in the ensuing spring, to tow canal boats to and 
from New York, by which arrangements, the transfer 
and consequent delay and confusion at Albany will be 
avoided, a circumstance which will still further recom- 
mend the route by New York, to the better class of 
emigrants, in preference to that by Montreal, the portages 
on the communication by the St. Lawrence being nume- 
rous and embarrassing. 

Prices of Passage and of Freight from New York to 
Upper Canada. 

From New York to Albany per tow-boats, time twenty- 
four hours, passage for an adult 1 dol., half-price for 
children under twelve years of age. 

Transfer at Albany, one day. 

From Albany to Rochester, by canal, six days' passage, 
for an adult 2 dols. 69 cents— half for children. 

Rochester to embarkation at Hanford's Landing, or at 
Charlotte, on the Genessee river, one day ; fromGenessee 



APPENDIX. !lx5 

Tiver to Kingston, York, or Niagara, in schooners, three 
days ; passage of adult 1 dollar — half-price for children : 
in all twelve days' board at 25 cents per diem, makes the 
total cost of removal 7dls. 69 cents. The passage from the 
Genessee river, with a fair wind, is frequently performed 
in twenty-four hours, but such despatch cannot be relied 
upon : taking the calms of summer with the tempestuous 
weather of autumn, three days would probably be found 
the average passage. 

N.B.— The freight of luggage will be 1 dollar per cwt. 
for the whole distance, thus — dois. cts. 

To Albany 12^ 

To Rochester 62^ 

To Upper Canada 25 

1 00 



Estimate of Expense from New York to Detroit. 

From New York to Albany, per tow-boats, time, 
twenty-four hours' passage, 1 dollar, children half-price ; 
transfer at Albany, one day. From Albany to Buffalo, 
by canal, eight days' passage, 3 dollars 62 cents— children 
half-price ; transfer there one day. Buffalo to Detroit, 
per steam-boat, two days' passage, 2 dollars— children 
half-price ;— in all thirteen days, for board, at 25 cents per 
diem— making the total expense of transportation 9 
dollars 87 cents per individual adult : freight of luggage 
for the whole distance, 1 dollar 25 cents per cwt. 

Mr. Smith says that the charge stated for passage 
from Buffalo to Detroit is much below the customary 
rate ; but he trusts to the competition which will arise 
among the steam-boats, the current of emigration for 
the Michigan territory having been regularly increasing. 

Mr. Smith offers to take charge of emigrants and 
their effects on their arrival in New York, and to deliver 



Ixii APPENDIX. 

them as above, at 5 per cent, commission on all the dis- 
bursements, or at the following prices, including all 
expenses : — To ports on the Canada side on lake Ontario, 
8 dollars per adult, and 5 dollars 75 cents per child. To 
Detroit, 10 dollars 25 cents per adult, and 7 dollars per 
child : the baggage at the rate heretofore mentioned. 

I have ascertained from many quarters that Mr. 
Smith's estimate and offer are very reasonable, and must 
be formed indeed from a very sanguine expectation that 
the number of emigrants will be very great, owing to the 
state of the labouring and manufacturing classes in the 
United Kingdom ; but still it affords the directors the 
means of supplying persons intending to emigrate \vith a 
correct notion of the expense to be incurred till they 
reach Upper Canada. The expense of crossing the 
Atlantic can be ascertained at home. 

I am not yet in a condition to furnish any degree of 
satisfactory information regarding the expense which 
must be incurred between the landing in Upper Canada, 
and arriving in the different ranges of townships, but I 
shall procure estimates thereof as early as possible. 



PAPER I, Page 293. 

As calculations of the expenditure of capital, and the 
expected results of farming in the Canadas, if not very 
satisfactory to any one but the man who makes them, 
are yet looked for by the English inquirer, we present 
two of the best we can find, chiefly on account of the 
observations that accompany them. The one is by Mr. 
Talbot, made out in 1823, when the government lands 
were granted upon payment of fees, and referring to the 
case of a gentleman who commences with a capital of 
1500^. But as many expenses have cheapened since 



APPENDIX. Ixiii 

that period, and the facilities of communication and trade 
have greatly increased, we add another calculation by 
Pickering, a practical farmer, made in 1830, and refer- 
ring to the case of a person with a much smaller capital. 
To commence with Mr. Talbot's, he says, — 

* I will suppose an Enghshman, possessed of 1500/., 
4lesirous of emigrating to Canada, for the purpose of 
obtaining land for himself and his family, and conse- 
quently of bettering his circumstances by the exchange. 
"We will take his family to consist of eight persons ; for 
he must not think of servants, for some reasons which I 
shall hereafter explain. 

* The total expense of transporting such a family from 
Europe to Upper Canada will be nearly as follows : — 
For a cabin passage across the Atlantic . £50 
Provisions for 70 days, including liquor, me- 
dicine, &c. about 50 

Passage from Quebec to Montreal, 180 miles, 
on board a steam-boat, estimating the 6 
children as 3 adults . . . . 15 

Necessary delay in Montreal for a conveyance 

to Prescott, 2 days' expenses if at a hotel 3 

Passage from Montreal to Prescott, 130 
miles, performed in 8 days, if not more 
than 5 cwt. of luggage (for every additional 
cwt. 7s. ed.) 4 

Provisions for 8 days going to Prescott, and 

expenses of sleeping at taverns . . 8 

Delay at Prescott, waiting for the steam-boat, 

say two days . . . . . 3 

From Prescott to Kingston, 60 miles, twelve 

hours 5 

Delay at Kingston, waiting for steam-boats, 
which are there only three times a month, 
say five days 8 

£146 



Ixiv APPENDIX. 

Brought forward . . . £i46 
Expenses from Kingston to York . . 15 
Delay at York, petitioning for land and ob- 
taining location-tickets, at least ten days 15 
Expense of carriage from York to the nearest 

Government land . . , . 10 



. 100 








. 15 








. 20 








. 10 









Total expense from any part in the United 
Kingdom, to the nearest Government land, 
Upper Canada 186 

One year's provision .... 

One horse 

Two yoke of oxen .... 

Four cows 

Farming utensils, all of which must be bought 

in Canada 15 

(Sheep cannot be kept for a year or two.) 

Indispensable articles of household furniture, 
admitting that beds are brought from 
Europe 20 

Fees on 500 acres of land, the complement 
which a person possessing 1500/. will be 
entitled to obtain 125 

The performance of settlement duties on the 
land, which must be done to entitle the 
proprietor to a deed, 25 acres cleared and 
fenced, at 4/. per acre .... 100 

A log house, 30 feet by 20, with four apart- 
ments, and two brick chimnies . . 40 

A framed barn 50 



Total expense of emigrating from any part of 
Great Britain or Ireland, with a family of 
eight persons, and of procuring a deed of 
500 acres of Government land, with the ne- 
cessary stock and farming' utensils . .£681 



APPENDIX. IXV 

' For this sum the emigrant will be able to defray his 
expenses from his native country to Upper Canada, to 
obtain 500 acres of land, to clear and fence 25 acres, to 
erect a house and barn, and to provide himself with the 
necessary farming utensils, stock, and furniture. For 
300/. more, he may have 75 acres cleared, which, in ad- 
dition to the other 25, will make 1 00 : a quantity suffi- 
cient for any Canadian farmer. 

'I shall therefore consider the emigrant of 15p0/. to 
be settled on 500 acres, in any part of the province 
which he may select, with the quantity of stock, farm- 
ing utensils, and furniture already mentioned, at the 
expense of 616/. As 884/. of the 1500/. yet remain,' his 
prospects may be supposed to be decidedly favourable. 

* But if he will not attend to his own business, and 
sometimes put his own hand to the plough, he must 
have more labourers and other servants than he can 
afford to pay. Properly to cultivate 100 acres of land 
will require the constant labour of three men, the annual 
expense of whom, exclusive of their board, will be 90/.; 
for the support of his own family, his labourers, his 
oxen, his cows, and his sheep, forty acres will be suffi- 
cient, if judiciously cultivated. There remains, there- 
fore, the produce of sixty acres for the payment of his 
labourers, and for the procuring of clothing for his fa- 
mily, supposing that his wife is unwilling or unable to 
manufacture any. In the due cultivation of sixty acres 
of land, forty acres may produce a yearly crop, which, if 
in a fertile part of the country, will amount to twenty- 
live bushels per acre. This quantity, according fo the 
present price of grain, which is 2.s. 6d. per bushel, will 
amount to 125/.; and out of which 90/. must go to 
pay for hired labour ; so that making no deduction what- 
ever for the failure of crops, the wasting of grain, or 

f 



IXVi APPENDIX. 

other contingencies, only 35/. are left for clothing a wife 
and six children. 

* If a person of this description therefore were, in addi- 
tion to his labourers, to keep only one inside servant, 
whose wages would amount to 15/., his whole farm 
would be found little more than sufficient for the sup- 
port of his household establishment. The interest of 
his 884Z., and the increase of his stock, would, however, 
be fully equal to meet all his necessary demands. So 
that it may be said, that with economy, frugality, and 
good success, he may live comfortably, without drawing 
on his banker for any thing beside the interest of his 
money. ***:;: 

* It may, perhaps, be considered that forty acres of 
land will produce more than would suffice for the sup- 
port of a family, consisting of eleven persons. Forty 
acres would certainly produce more grain than could be 
consumed by eleven persons ; but how are horses, cows, 
and oxen to be fed through a tedious winter, of nearly 
six months' continuance ? And how is pork to be fat- 
tened in sufficient quantities for the consumption of so 
large a family? Ten acres of meadow land will be 
scarcely sufficient to yield hay enough for a pair of 
horses, two yokes of oxen, half a dozen cows, and fifty 
sheep. Fifteen acres of pasturage will be no more than 
adequate to the sustenance of fifty sheep throughout the 
summer, admitting that the cows and oxen find a sub- 
sistence in the forests ; and five acres will scarcely yield 
oats enough to feed the horses. There remain therefore 
only ten acres for the maintenance of the family. If 
you will take the trouble of estimating the quantity of 
grain, hay, and pasturage, necessary for the support of 
such a stock, and the flour which a large family will an- 
nually consume, and compare the result of these calcu- 



APPENDIX. Ixvii 

lations with the average produce of land in Canada,'you 
will find my statement to be perfectly correct. 

* The conclusion of the whole matter is, that a respect- 
able emigrant, on leaving England with 1500/. may 
settle himself in Canada, on an estate of 500 acres, sup- 
port a large family comfortably, and die worth upwards 
of 800/. in specie, if he is not imprudent or exceedingly 
unfortunate. — TalboVs Five Years Residence in Canada^ 
vol. ii. p. 246. 

* I have sometimes heard it asserted in this country/ 
says Pickering, * that a farm cannot be cultivated to a 
profit in America, if the whole of the labour done on it 
be hired, which I am confident is erroneous. That some 
are not, in the way they are managed, I readily admit ; 
but that, under judicious management, they cannot be, 
my little experience convinces me of the contrary. To 
make it intelligible, I will state the whole hired expenses, 
and the value of the produce of a small farm for a year ; 
and if it can be proved that a profit, however small, may 
be made on the cultivation of seventy acres only of 
cleared land, when the labour is all hired, it will appear 
evident that a worthy farmer and two or three sons 
doing all, or only part of this work, must be improving 
his circumstances, and that a larger farm may be ma- 
naged to a proportionate profit. A farm of good land 
can be purchased on or about Talbot Street, or almost 
anywhere in the western part of the province, and the 
back settlements of the middle parts, at from 2i dollars 
(11*. 3c?.) to 5 dollars (22^.6^.) per acre, and at but a 
moderate advance, exclusive of buildings, according to 
situation, &c., in any part of the province. I have cal- 
culated the statement in dollars at As. 6d. sterling. 

* A farm of 200 acres ; 70 cleared , with a good log, or 
small frame house, or barn, and a young orchard, &c. 
200 acres, say at 4 dollars, or lbs. per acre, 800 dollars, or 

/a 



Ixviii APPENDIX. 

180/.; — 100 dollar."?, or 22/. 10^, paid down as part of 
the purchase, and 22/. 10^. yearly, and interest until 
paid, of the remainder. A person with 200/. may settle 
very comfortably on such a farm, and cover all necessary 
outgoings ; and the following items would be required. 

Dollars. 

As stock, &c,,two yoke of oxen, one well broken 
yoke, 45 dollars, one yoke steers, unbroken, 45 
dollars 80 

Three ox-chains, 12 dollars; two yokes, 3 dol- 
lars ; sled, 5 dollars 20 

A horse (or brood mare) to ride, go to mill, &c., 

plough betw'een potatoes, corn, &c. . . 50 

Light Jersey waggon, second hand (a new one 
would be G5 dollars), with spring seat, both 
for pleasure and profit, 50 dollars; harness, 10 
dollars; and saddle, 15 dollars ... 75 

Two ploughs, 18 dollars; harrows, 6 dollars; 

two axes, 5 dollars ; hoes, &c., 3 dollars . 32 

Six cows at 15 dollars each, six calves and hei- 
fers at 5 dollars 120 

Two sows, 6 dollars; thirty store-pigs at 1 dol- 
lar each 36 

Twenty sheep at 1| dollar each ... 25 

Geese, fowls, &c., 5 dollars .... 5 

Household furniture — three beds and bedding, 
50 dollars ; tables, 10 dollars; crockery, 10 
dollars ; pots and kettles, 1 dollars ; clock, 
15 dollars; common chairs, ^ dollar each; 
painted Windsor ones, 1 to 2 dollars each, 
say 10 dollars 117 

The first deposit towards payment of farm . 100 

148/. 10^., or 660 



APPENDIX. 



Ixix 



One year's outgoings and expenses. 

Girdling fen acres of woods, clearing out the 

underbrush and fern, 5 dollars per acre . 50 

Seed wheat for the same (IJ bushel per acre), 
at I dollar per bushel 9 

Sowing and harrowing of ditto .... 5 

Ten acres wheat sown after peas, ploughing 2 

dollars per acre 20 

Seed as above, 9 dollars ; sowing and harrowing, 

5 dollars 14 

Cradhng and binding the 20 acres, at H dollar 
per acre 30 

Carting and stacking, 23 dollars ... 23 

Thieshing 360 bushels, at one-tenth of a dollar . 27 

Suppose ten acres of clover, sown the year before 
with oats, at 7 lbs. per acre, (often only three 
or four lbs. sown) 8 

]\Iowing first crop early clover for hay, | dollar 
per acre ; getting together, 1 dollar (it wanting 
no making), and hauling together. If dollar 35 

Mowing the second crop for seed, &c. . . 35 

Threshing the seed, two bushels produce per 

acre, at one dollar per bushel .... 20 

Ten acres ploughed for peas, 2 dollars per acre 
(often done for U dollar) ; seed for ditto, three 
bushels (generally only two), at ^ dollar per 
bushel 35 

Sowing and harrowing, 5 dollars ; thrsehing 50 
bushels, 3 dollars 8 

[The remainder, 150, give to hogs in the straw 
unthreshed, if the straw be not good for sheep 
and cattle (i. e. not got well); but if good, I 
would recommend it being given to the sheep. 



319 



IXX APPENDIX. 

Dollars. 

Brought forward . . . . 319 
lightly threshed, as the very best food to be 
had here for them, and which they are very 
fond of]. 

Four acres of oats for calves, sheep, milch cows, 
and horse, the seed three bushels per acre, at 
1 dollar per bushel, 3 dollars ; ploughing, &c. 
10 dollars 13 

Six acres corn, ploughing twice, 18 dollars ; 
planting and harrowing, 4 dollars ; two hoeings, 
9 dollars ; ploughing between the rows, 2 dol- 
lars; husking, &c. 12 dollars; hauling, and 
threshing, and seed, 10 dollars ... 65 

Eight acres in timothy, or other grass, for hay, 
mowing, and stacking, as for clover . . 24 

Twelve acres in sheep pasture, two acres for po- 
tatoes, cabbages, turnips, and other vegetables 
for house (chiefly), sheep, calves, &c. ; hu-ing 
a stout boy at 5 dollars per month, and board 
for a year, to attend cattle, milk, &c. . . 100 

To the above expenses may be added one year's 
interest of the purchase money, yet unpaid ; 
being 6 per cent, on 700 dollars ... 42 

Total 563 



Produce of the 70 acres. 

Twenty acres of wheat, at eighteen bushels per 

acre (sometimes thirty), at f dollar per bushel 270 
Ten acres of clover seed, at two bushels per acre, 
f and seven dollars per bushel . . . 140 

Six acres of Indian corn, at 25 bushels per acre, 

150 bushels, at i dollar .... 75 

485 



APPENDIX. Ixjd 

Dollars. 

Brought forward . . . . 485 

Thirty store pigs (for fattening next season) . 30 

Thirty fat hogs, weighing, at least, 200 lbs. each 

(or one barrel), thirty barrels, at twelve dollars 

per barrel 360 

Six cows, butter and cheese for summer . . 60 

A yoke of fat oxen, 60 dollars (besides a cow or 

two killed for the house) . , , . 60 

Twenty lambs, 20 dollars; and twenty fleeces of 

wool, 20 dollars 40 

Geese, feathers, eggs, fowls, &c. . . . 10 

One year's farm produce . . 1045 
Ditto expenses . . , 563 

Surplus 482 

* With the beef and vegetables allowed above, 282 dol- 
lars will keep a family of four or five persons well during 
the year, leaving a clear profit of 200 dollars, or 45^., be- 
sides the improvement of the farm; and if hemp or 
tobacco were made part of the productions, the profits, 
probably, would be larger. No one that is well ac- 
quainted with Canada will, I think, say that I have made 
a partial statement. Some may think I have stated the 
number of fat hogs on so small a farm in one season, too 
high, as there are but a very few farmers that fatten so 
many. I allow there are not many ; yet, as there are 
some that do and as I have allowed sufficient grain for 
the purpose, if there be any nuts at all in the woods, 
that objection, of course, falls to the ground. It would 
be to the interest of the Canadian farmers, particularly 
those in back settlements, to pay more attention than 
they now do, both to the breeding and feeding of hogs. 
There is too httle spirit and taste for improvements, for 
■want of a proper stimulus. As there is comparatively 



Ixxii APPENDIX. 

but little capital vested in farming pursuits, there are no 
iiading characters to introduce, or excite, a spirit of 
improvement/ — Pickering, p. 112. 



PAPER K, Page 338. 

Summary relative to the Land Speculations by which 
the Genessee country and the western territory of New 
York were settled. — An original paper, communicated 
by Mr. Gait. 

The contrast between the prosperity with which the 
western territory of the State of New York is animated, 
and the lethargy that retards the progress of Upper 
Canada, is very great. But this very contrast, when 
contemplated with reference to the causes that have 
produced it, affords the strongest assurances of success 
to the Canada Company. Never yet has one single ca- 
pitalist entered Upper Canada, or prepared, as the Ame- 
ricans say, any part of the country for settlement. 
Whatever wealth is in the province has been derived 
from the ground by the efforts of individual toil : where- 
as, in the State of New York, the case has been altoge- 
ther different. Capitahsts of the greatest means and 
resources, aided by a boldness unexampled in the history 
of colonization, have, with unparalleled rapidity, there 
given life and energy to the whole country, opened roads, 
excavated canals, and planted towns. By them alone 
the true character and value of wild land have been cor- 
rectly understood. There only has it been considered 
properly, as it truly is, a mere raw material ; and by them 
only has capital been employed on it as such, so as to 
render it fit for the immediate wants of man. In all re- 
spects, the fate of Upper Canada has been the reverse, 
from the poverty of ruined refugees first settled on it ; 



APPENDIX. 



Ixxiii 



and, in later times, it has been converted into an asylum 
for pauper emigrants. In consequence of this injudicious 
treatment, its advantages of equal soil and climate have 
hitherto been thrown away ; and its present state affords 
a memorable and instructive lesson, how little unassisted 
manual industry can effect in a new country. There is 
therefore room, and opportunity, and motive, for the 
Canada Company to accomplish much, and much is 
required from them ; for they may be sure that all 
their measures and doings will be carefully watched. No 
omission or fault will be overlooked ; they have before 
them the result of good management and bad, and the 
power to profit by the one and to avoid the other ; and 
if they do not accomplish what, under these circum- 
stances, even their sanguine friends expect, they may 
rest assured the entire blame will be fixed on the ma- 
nagement. 

The time and circumstances in which the Company 
was formed, have led many to regard it as the first of 
its kind, and consequently experimental ; but it is not 
so, for the record of royal charters affords numerous 
precedents of similar undertakings ; none of the old as- 
sociations, indeed, proposed so strict an adherence to 
commercial principles, but they gave rise to the latter 
speculations to which I particularly allude. Their origin 
and history I shall now proceed to state somewhat fully, 
referring the Court to the appendix for a chronological 
account of those chartered associations by which the 
foundations of the United States were originally laid. 

Early in the seventeenth century, the spirit of coloniza- 
tion by public companies was in considerable activity. 
In the town of Plymouth, an association was formed, which 
took its origin from some suggestion I believe of the cele- 
brated Sir Francis Drake, called the Plymouth Company. 
To this association King James I., by letters-patent under 



Ixxiv 



APPENDIX. 



the great seal, on the 3d of November, 1620, granted a 
tract of country in North America, on the shore of the 
Atlantic ocean, from the 40th to the 48th degree of 
northerly latitude, and extending of that breadth through 
the continent to the Pacific ocean. This tract of coun- 
try was called New England. That company, by deed 
of indenture under their common seal, on the 19th of 
March, 1628, conveyed to a company formed by Sir 
Henry Boswell and his associates, a part of the country 
which they had so received, consisting of more than two 
degrees of latitude, extending through the whole conti- 
nent from the bottom of Massachusets Bay. This new 
company^was called the Massachusets Bay Company ; 
and under this grant the colony, now the State of MaS' 
sachusetts, was established. 

I find also that King Charles II., on the 30th of Oc- 
tober, 1659, by letters patent similar to those above-men- 
tioned, granted to his brother, James, Duke of York and 
Albany, all the country in North America from Nova 
Scotia on the north-east, the rivers of Canada on the 
north-west, to the east side of Delaware Bay on the south 
west, and the Atlantic ocean on the south-east, with the 
exception of the tract which had been granted by his 
grandfather to the Plymouth Company. Out of this 
grant the Duke of York and Albany assigned to Lord 
Berkeley and Sir George Carteret that tract of land which 
is now the flourishing state of New Jersey. The re- 
mainder of the lands granted to the Duke constitutes the 
State of New York. 

Thus while those countries remained attached to the 
British crown, the jurisdiction of New York extended 
over them all, with the exception of that part which con- 
stituted the province of Massachusets. After the inde- 
pendence of the United States was acknowledged, how- 
ever, some differences arose between the states of New 



APPENDIX. IXXV 

York and Massachusets respecting their boundaries. 
This led to a relinquishment on the part of the legislature 
of Massachusets, in favour of the general government 
of the United States, of lands belonging to their com- 
monwealth, which lay between the Hudson and the Mis- 
sissippi ; and Mr. Samuel Holton, and Mr. Rufus King, 
in pursuance of an arrangement formed, accordingly 
executed a deed of cession, which gave to the general 
government of the United States the soil and jurisdiction 
of the territory within the Massachusets charter, lying 
westward of certain points and places described in the 
deed of cession. By this arrangement the right of pre- 
emption to the fee- simple and inheritance from the na- 
tive Indians was vested in the State of Massachusets 
over all the tract of country which the States still re- 
tained, bounded on the north by lake Ontario, and com- 
prehending that tract to which I have so often referred, 
the Genessee country. 

The State of Massachusets, being thus entitled to dis- 
pose of that country, sold certain lands which had been 
purchased from the Indians, and also the right of pre- 
emption to purchase other Indian lands, to Messrs. 
Gorham and Phelps, for the price of 300,000/., payable 
in three yearly portions of 100,000/. each. Messrs. 
Gorham and Phelps having thus obtained a full and per- 
fect title to that tract of country, proceeded to make an 
actual survey thereof, and found that they had acquired 
by purchase about two millions of acres, for which they 
were to pay in three years 300,000/. This price for lands 
then totally uninhabited by a Christian population, very 
nearly equals that which the Canada Company has in 
fifteen years to pay for a greater quantity of land, which 
has all been surveyed, through which highways have been 
opened, a rapidly increasing population planted, and the 
various ramifications of law and magistrates established. 



Ixxvi APPENDIX. 

The plan which Messrs. Gorham and Phelps adopted 
in the location of their gigantic speculation, — for such, 
under the circumstances of its formation, it must be de- 
scribed, — was exactly similar to that by which the lands 
of Canada have since been surveyed and located. They 
caused the whole to be intersected by anumber of marked 
lines and trees, at right angles, in such a manner as to 
divide the whole country into 102 townships, whereof 79 
are of squares of six miles on each side, and 23 are irre- 
gular figures, owing to the obliquity of the boundaries. 
The tract being thus divided, Gorham and Phelps pro- 
ceeded to sell by townships, and actually did sell, or 
covenanted to convey, 52 townships to different persons 
in less than two years ; and on the 18th of November, 
1790, they formed a contract with Mr. Robert Morris 
for all the remainder of their purchase. 

But it would appear by the manner in which they thus, 
in the course of two years from the date of their contract 
with the State of Massachusets, so hastily disposed of 
their lands, that they were not sufficiently prepared to 
sustain the burden of their great undertaking, nor were 
possessed of the means of waiting to see the result of 
the general progress of the country ; for it is on record, 
that owing, as they themselves stated, to the heavy ex- 
penses of making their survey, expenses to which the 
Canada Company is not subjected, and to the credit they 
had given, they were unable to meet their first instal- 
ment of 100,000/., and an action was accordingly com- 
menced against them for the amount of their first bond. 
Out of that proceeding a new arrangement took place, 
by which ultimately, it would seem that, instead of taking 
the remainder of Gorham and Phelps' purchase, as Mr. 
Morris had consented to do, he engaged, by his agents, 
1o take a tract of the same country from the government 
of Massachusets, containing about 500,000 acres; for 



APPENDIX. Ixxvii 

this he paid 50,000/., and by four other deeds, he also 
obtained a right of pre-emption to four several quanti- 
ties of 800,000 acres each; for the right of pre-emption 
alone, as the privilege to purchase lands from the 
Indians is called, he paid 55,000/. 

Mr. Morris thus by his proprietorial right to 500,000 
acres, and by the right of pre-emption, in addition to 
that purchase, acquired over 2,400,000 acres, became, 
as soon as he obtained the concession of the Indians 
under his grant of pre-emption, territorial possessor of 
nearly 3,000,000 of acres ; and it is from that vast spe- 
culation that subsequently Sir William Pulteney, the 
Holland Company, Mr. Parish, and many others, ac- 
quired those lands under which the Genessee settlements 
have been made. 

With respect to the fate of those inferior purchases, 
the result has been various. It is admitted on all 
hands, that in the commencement great errors in the 
management were committed. This, the Canada Com- 
pany, profiting by their experience, may avoid. One of 
the earliest agents of the Holland Company w^as a Co- 
lonel Boone, who was so ignorant of the true principles 
of colonization, by which alone the value of his trust 
could be improved, that he began, it is said, by erecting 
large establishments for manufacturing sugar from the 
maple tree all the year round, and by embarking in 
other undertakings which are far more profitably left in 
the hands of private persons. Mr. Wilhamson, to whose 
care the Pulteney purchase was consigned, acted some- 
what better, but still with such an injudicious prodigality 
of expenditure, that, I have been told, it was at one time 
a question with the heirs of Sir William Pulteney whe- 
ther the whole speculation should not be abandoned. 
Subsequently, however, on examining further into what 
Mr. Williamson had done, and what was then the state 



Ixxviii APPENDIX. 

of the country, they changed their minds, and even made 
a provision of 20,000/. for his family, in consideration of 
the services he had rendered to the estate ; and the Pul- 
teney purchase now remits about 100,000 dollars per 
annum to this country. The Holland Company having 
mixed itself with loans and other financial undertakings, 
it is now difficult to say what are its profits ; but in so far 
as the lands are concerned, they have of late years be- 
come greatly productive. 

The success of the land speculation of Mr. Parish, by 
being mixed up, like that of the Holland Company, with 
other undertakings, is hable to question. The fact, how- 
ever, is, that the greater part of the capital invested by 
him at Ogdenburgh has been expended in manufacturing 
establishments which have not succeeded ; and such 
has been the general management of his lands, that I 
was informed, from various authentic sources, that the 
people were retiring from them, and settling themselves 
in the better-administered country to thewestward. But 
whatever may have been the consequences of the specu- 
lation to Messrs. Gorham and Phelps, to Mr. Morris, 
and to their immediate successors, the entire attainment 
of the object which they had in view cannot be ques- 
tioned. In a period not much exceeding thirty years, a 
wilderness has been cleared and settled, with an increase 
of population of more than 500,000 persons ; many large 
and flourishing towns have arisen — no less, it has been 
computed, including the villages, than 212. Manufac- 
tures, on an extensive scale, have been established ; a 
canal has been excavated, intersecting the country for 
385 miles, and opening the navigation from New York 
to the Lakes of Canada. In a word, these lands, which 
were purchased little more than thirty years ago for less 
than 2s. an acre, are now daily selling for four, five, asnd 
seven dollars an acre, and in many places for more than 
double that price. 



APPENDIX. IXXiX 



Chronological View of the Settlements Tnade by Asso- 
ciations under Royal Charter, 

1606. In this year the London Company, by virtue of 

letters patent from James I., sent out a colony, 
and began a settlement at James's River. 

1607. The London Company sent out a second colony, 

and founded James's Town. This was the first 
town planted on colonial principles in America. 

In the same year the Plymouth Company sent 
out and settled a small colony at the mouth of 
the Sargadoc River, under Captain Popham, 
their president. 

1620. A colony of Puritans settled at New Plymouth, 
under the Plymouth Company. 

1622. The Scots began a settlement in Nova Scotia 
under the auspices of Sir William Alexander, 
the poet, afterwards the Earl of Stirling, 

1628. Massachusets colonized. 

1633. Maryland colonized by an association formed 
under a patent granted by Lord Baltimore. 

1635. Rhode Island settled by an association or company 
under Roger Williams. 

1682. Pennsylvania, settled under Charles, by William 
Penn. 

1732. Georgia, by 'the English, under a patent for a com- 
pany formed under General Oglethorpe. 

1820. Up to this period the United States had purchased 
and acquired from the Indians 191,778,536 acres, 
and paid, or rather appropriated in payment for 
the same, 2,542,916 dollars; these lands are 
now in the practice of being sold at a dollar and 
a half per acre, and the proceeds applied in aid 
of the pubhc revenue, and in the construction of 
public works. Of these lands, 18,601,930 acres 



IXXX APPENDIX. 

have been sold, and the sum of 22,229,180 dol- 
lars have already been paid into the treasury of 
the United States, leaving still due, upon which 
thetitlerdeeds are withheldas security, 22,000,65 7 
dollars. The purchase of land from the Indians 
by the British Government, is estimated at 
10,000,000 of acres, for 7,491,190 dollars, for 
which the Indians receive goods annually, 
amounting in value to 16,620 dollars. 

Before the institution of the Canada Company, 
the British Government had scarcely ever really 
sold any of its lands, but made gratuitous grants 
of them upon payment of office fees. 



INDEX, 



Act of Parliament for regulating conveyance of emi- 
grants .... 33 
Agents, Government, for Emigration . . 30, 252 
Agents, for the Canada Company, for ditto . . 26 
Albany Town, notice of , . . 229 
Amherstbnrgh Town, notice of . . . 197 
Atmospheric Phenomena observed in Upper Canada . 275 
Auburn Town, notice of . . 244, 229 

Balston Town, notice of . . 238 & Ap. Ivi 

Brockville Town, notice of . . . 306 

Buchanan, Mr. A. C, his calculation of the expense of 

removing and colonization of poor emigrants Ap. vii 

Ditto, instructions for emigrants, &c. . . xlvi 

B y-Town,notice of . . . 115,307 

Calculations, various, of the expense of transporting and 

colonizing poor emigrants . . Ap. ii. to ix 

Canadas, geographical and topographical sketch of . 39 

Canada, Lower, ditto, ditto . . . 42 

, Upper, ditto, ditto . . . 109 

Company, advantages of purchasing from . 289 

convey emigrants to the interior, &c . 255 

Canadians, disposition and situation of . . 324 

9 



Ixxxii INDEX. 

Page 
Canals, dimensions of several in Canada, &c. . 264 

Canandaguaia Town, notice of . . . 245 

Capital, investment of, in Canada . . 36 

Central Section of Upper Canada . . .150 

Chatham Village, notice of . • .197 

Clergy Reserves . . 308,318,323,326 

Climate of the Canadas . . . 270 

Clyde Bridge, notice of . . , . 247 

Coal Mines indicated in Gaspe district . . 47 

Cold, different effects of . . . . 234 

Colonists, general considerations for proposed . 287 

Colonization, true principles of . . . 337 

Commissioner Richards' s Report on the Canadas . 296 

Crops, remarkable, in Hull township . . Ap. xxv 

in Upper Canada, &c. . . 297, 301, 303 

Crown lands . . • . . 321 

Detroit River . . • 196, &c. 

Distances of places, tables of . . . 266 

Eastern Section of Upper Canada . .116 

• District of ditto, sketch of . » .117 

• , Inspectors' Report of Townships in . 118 

, ^ Duncan M'Dowell's Report concerning 1 12 

Electrical Phenomena observed in Canada . . 275 

Emigrants, general caution to . . . 252 

Pauper, various calculations regarding Ap. ii. ix 

. with capital . . 293, & Ap. Ixii 

number of, of late years . . . 323 

Emigration, preparation for . . .251 

• , Commissioner's Report on . . 338 

Employment, great, for labourers . . 304 
Erie Canal, dimensions of . . . . 261 
, scenery on ... 242 



INDEX. Ixxxiii 

Page 
Expense of passage out to Canada 31, 253, 260, & Ap. iv 

' conveyance to Upper Province, &c. 34, 254 

location and support of emigrants, &c., 

various calculations of . Ap. iv. to viii. &c. 342 

Feeding of pauper emigrants, &c. . Ap. ix 

First proceedings of settlers, &c. . Ap. xi. &c. 

Fort William Henry, town of . . . 211 

Frauds on emigrants 32 & 252, & Ap. xlviii. xlix 

Gait Town, notice of . . . . 1 79 

, Mr. his recommendation to emigrants , 24 

Gaspe, District of . . . , 45 

Gatineaxi River, and Vale of . . .105 

Genessee Country and River, notice of . 245 & 248 

, Mr, Gait's History of the Settlement of Ap. xxii 

Geneva ToAvn, notice of . , . 244 

General Remarks by the Commissioner . . 329 

Geographical Sketch of both Canadas . .39 

Goderich Town, notice of . . • . 189 

Gore District, Reports on the Townships of 178, 180 

Gould, Nathaniel, Esq. his notes and communications 275, 281 

Hamilton Town . . . .298 

Hemp, cultivation of, &c. . • 198, 294, 304 

, Mr. Wright's trial of . . Ap. xxvi 

Home District, sketch of . . . . 166 

. , Patrick Strange' s Reports on . 169 

Hudson River, scenery on . . . . 226 

Indians, an encampment of • . Ap. Ivi 

, Mohawk scholars . • . . 299 

Indian, services of to ]\Ir. Wright . . Ap. xv 

— — — Chiefs, Anecdotes of • • . xvii 

Inverness, township reserves in • • . 322 

Jesuits' estates . , • . 312 

9^ 



Page 

Johnstown District, Report on the Townsliip of . 144 

Katskill Mountains . . . . 231 

Kingston Town, notice of . . ,113 

Lake Fever, note on . . . . 281 

Lakes, Great, measurements of . . . 263 

Land Company, British American, account of . . 290 

Land, mode of choosing . . .45 

Lands in Canada, various modes of purchasing . . 288 

Lands in tlie Canadas, disposable . 313, 334 

Letters of poor emigrants from Wiltshire . Ap. xxxiii 

London District, sketch of . . . 187 

Reports on the townships of . 192 

Town, notice of . . . 301 



Lower Canada, geographical and topographical sketches of 39 

, first settlement of, by French, &c. . 49 

, Mr. Richards's Report on . . 309 

Lumbermen . . . . .319 

Markets, proximity to, &c. . . ,43 

Midland District, Report on the Townships of . . 146 

Mohawk River, falls on . . . 239 

Montreal District, description of . ,81 

City, description of . ..211 

, environs of . . . . 222 

Mountain House, on the Katskill Mountains . 232 

New York, route to the Canadas by . . , 225 

Newcastle District, Reports on the Townships of .150 

, Mr. Smith's Minutes on . . 153 

Niagara District, Report of the Townships of .182 

Town, notice of , . . . 183 

• — Falls, measurements of . , . 262 

■Ottawa District, Report on townships of . . 262 

■ , Mr. D. M'Doweirs Report on .130 



INDEX. IXXXV 

Page 
Passage to the Canadas, expense of . 31, 250, 340 

, provision and comforts for 37, & Ap. xlvi. &c. 

Pauper Emigrants, support of, &c. . . Ap. ix 

Perth Town, notice of . . • .114 

Peterborough Settlement, notice of . . . 304 

Phenomena, remarkable, seen in Canada . . 276 

Politics of the Canadas . . . 325 

Population of the Canadas . . 327, 330 

Quebec District, Townships of, &c. . . 48 

City, description of . . . 204 

Queenstown Village, notice of . . .183 

Report by Mr. Richards on the Canadas • . 296 

Richards, Mr., Commissioner, his Report . 295 

Rideau Canal, measurements of, &c. . . 2G4, 306 

Route to the Canadas by the St. Lawrence, &c. . 203 

by New York and Albany . 225 

to Lower Canada by ditto . . . 239 

, Expenses by these, &c. . . . 250 

Roads, Canadian .... 267 

Robinson, Peter, Esq., emigration experiments under 

him ..... Ap. V 
■ , calculations of transporting pau- 
pers, &c. . . . . Ap. vi 
Rochester Town, description of . _, . 246 

Sandwich Town, notice of . . .197 

Saratoga . . . . . 236 
Seigniorial tenure of Lands in Lower Canada, &c. 50, 310 

Scrope, G. Poulett, Esq., his pamphlet . Ap. v 

Shakers' Village, description of . . Ap. Iviii 

Shenectady Town, notice of . . . 238 

St. Lawrence River, scenery on ' . . . 203 

' , measurements of . , . 263 

Steam-boats on the Hudson . « , 229 



LsXXVi INDEX. 

Page 
Strange, Mr. P., remarks on Lands West of York . 169 
Systems of settling New Lands . , . 346 

Table of comparative temperature of the two Canadas . 280 
Tables of travelling fares and distances . , 256 

Talbotj Col. his settlement, Upper Canada . 188, 300 

, A. A. Esq., his calculations, viz. of expense of 

transport, &c. ... Ap. ii. iii 

' , regarding emigrants with capital . Ixii 

, opinions regarding emigration of poor Ap. ix 



Thames River .... 196, 301 

Three Rivers, District of. Counties and Townships . 63 

, Town of, noticed . . .210 

Timber, description and indications of . . 45 
Tobacco, cultivation of, &c. . .198, 295, 301 

Township, what it consists of, &c. . . 51, 305 

Travelling, Part 1st, b}^ the St. Lawrence, &c. , 203 

2nd, by New York and Albany . 225 

3rd, expenses, distances, &c. 



Fares, &c. Tables of 



Upper Canada, Geographical Sketch of 
, Eastern Section of 



--, Central Section of 
-, Western Section of 
-, Commissioner Richards's Report on 



Utica Town, notice of . 

Waterford Town, notice of 

Weather in the Canadas 

Welland Canal, measurement of, &c, , 

Western Section of the Upper Province J. 

. District . • 

West Point Town, notice of . • 





250 


34 & 256 


. 


109 


• 


116 


, , 


150 


, 


176 


on . 


296 


• 


243 


, 


239 


. 


273 


. 264, 


,306 


. 


176 


196, 


,198 



INDEX. Ixxxvii 

Page 
Winds, periodical in Canada . . . 274 

Winter, the Canadian . . . 272, 278 

Women wanted in Canada . . . .36 

Wright, Mr. Philemon, particular account of his first 
settlement of the Township of Hull, &c. 307, & Ap. xi 

York Town, notice of . . .167 



THE END. 



LONDON 

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